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THE 

pjeart  of  the 

An  American  Story. 


AN      LLINOIAN. 


Time:  I860.    Scene:  On  the  Mississippi, 


"The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  hundreds  of  battlefields,  will 
yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  if  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better 
angels  of  our  nature." — Lincoln. 

"  The  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  is,  upon  the  whole,  the  most  magnificent 
dwelling-place  prepared  by  God  for  man's  abode." — De  Tocqueville. 


CHICAGO: 
STEAM    PRINTING    HOUSE    OF    HAND    &    HART. 

1871. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 
HAND  &  HART,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington 

ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED. 


DEDICATION 


TO  THE 

RT.  REV.  HENRY  B.  WHIFFLE,  D.  D., 

OF    MINNESOTA, 

HON.  MILLARD  FILLMORE, 

OF    NEW    YORK, 

And  those  eminent  men  of  Illinois,  and  her  agents  and  creditors 
abroad,  who  aided  in  saving  the  State  from  ruin, 
by  engrafting  in  her  SECOND  CONSTI 
TUTION  a  sound  policy  re 
lating  to  her 

pub 
lic  debt, — this 
little  volume  is  respectfully 
dedicated,  -with  the  hope  that  whatever 
its  faults,  it  -will  not  be  found  wholly  unworthy  of 
their  notice,  and  that  abler  pens  may  be  brought  to  the  support  of 
a  noble  cause. 


M26851G 


PREFACE. 


HE  press  is  in  our  day  one  of  the  great  lev- 
,ers  by  which  masses  of  opinion  are  to  be 
•moved,  and  the  resulting  action  secured; 
'and  romance  is  now  the  acceptable  dress  in 
which  truth  must  be  arrayed  and  presented 
to  the  public. 

And  although  error,  too,  chooses  this 
vesture,  yet  the  fact  is  undeniable,  that  in 
our  day  the  world  has  received  and  acted  upon  much  that 
is  valuable  through  this  means. 

And  there  are  certain  simple  and  salutary  truths  that 
seem  to  be  unrecognized  in  the  practical  working  of  the 
public  mind ;  and  certain  evils,  so  enormous  that  to  be 
named  should  be  enough,  seem  also  to  be  unrecognized. 
And  trusting  that  it  may  contribute,  in  some  degree,  to  the 
ultimate  adjustment  of  this  "Grand  Balance,"  and  to  a 
public  recognition  of  the  errors,  as  well  as  the  losses  and 
gains,  of  the  past  few  years,  and  to  the  healthy  adjust- 


6  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

ment  of  affairs  on  a  sound  basis, — this  little  book  is  re 
spectfully  submitted  to  the  public,  with  the  hope  that  its 
faults  may  be  overlooked,  and  that  abler  writers  may  be 
induced  to  labor  in  this  field. 

Events  that  have  occurred  in  Europe  within  the  last  ten 
days  have  shown  what  a  miserable  failure  is  so-called 
statesmanship ;  how  readily  the  appeal  is  made  to  force ; 
how  slight  the  power  of  civilization  and  refinement  to 
prevent  a  resort  to  violence,  and  how  terribly  the  human 
race  are  afflicted  by  a  want  of  the  application  of  the  prin 
ciples  of  Christianity,  and  common-sense,  to  statesman 
ship,  and  how  exceedingly  rare,  on  this  earth,  is  combined 
wisdom,  power  and  magnanimity. 

The  story  of  Grey  Eagle  was  suggested,  and  in  part 
founded  upon  actual  facts,  that  came  under  the  personal 
knowledge  of  the  author,  in  the  far  West  years  ago, — cir 
cumstances  of  vile  outrage  and  wrong  against  the  Indians, 
so  flagrant  and  dastardly  that  they  never  can  be  forgotten. 

In  the  conversation  upon  political  subjects,  historical 
facts  are  given  that  are  believed  to  be  the  key  to  much 
that  is  false  and  wrong, — much  hypocrisy,  corruption  and 
violence, — and  the  conclusions  to  which  the  argument  of 
the  book  points  are  believed  to  be  in  harmony  with  the 
recorded  opinions  of  the  great  men  who,  under  God,  laid 
the  foundations  of  our  Government;  in  perfect  accord 
with  Christianity,  applied  to  statesmanship,  with  the  most 
practical  common-sense,  the  best  experience,  and  the 
plainest  truth. 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  7 

Partisanship  and  Sectionalism  are  now  with  us  the 
monsters  that  stand  in  the  way  of  truth,  and,  for  a  time 
at  least,  the  walls  and  thorny  hedges  that  divide  parties 
should  be  cleared  away,  and  the  great  field  of  truth  laid 
open  for  full  and  just  examination.  Old  errors  should  be 
fully  understood  and  admitted,  in  order  that  present  errors 
may  be  abated ;  and  this  should  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  lofty 
candor,  and  a  sacred  regard  for  TRUTH  in  every  point  of 
political  history.  Starting  with  the  known  and  incontro 
vertible  facts,  the  unknown  deeps  of  error  may  be  sounded 
if  not  explored,  and  their  secrets  revealed,  and  the  super 
ficial  bombast  of  mere  partisan  literature  give  place  to 
the  clear  light  ot  that  accurate  and  faithful  history  which 
alone  is  valuable  as  a  guide;  that  lamp  of  experience  that 
may  guide  our  feet,  and  whose  light  is  always  truly  re 
flected  and  increased  by  Revelation. 

GRAND  PRAIRIE,  ILL., 
July  2ist,  1870. 


CHAPTER  I. 

N  a  calm  and  beautiful  spring  morning,  late  in 
the  month  of  April,  A.  D.  1860,  a  large  raft  of 
pine  lumber,  from  the  St.  Croix  Pineries,  may 
have  been  seen  entering  the  head  of  Lake  Pepin,  on  the 
Upper  Mississippi.  The  lake  is  but  a  widening  of  the 
river,  and  its  deep,  still  waters  furnish  but  little  current  to 
hasten  the  raftsman  on  his  way;  and,  as  its  length  is  about 
thirty  miles,  the  passage  is  necessarily  slow  and  tedious. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the  vast  forests  upon 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Great  River  had  been  pierced  in 
every  direction  by  the  hardy  lumbermen,  and  the  sound 
of  the  ax  and  saw,  the  buzz  of  machinery,  and  the  bus 
tle  of  towns  and  trade,  had  become  far  more  common 
than  the  wilder  sounds  that  broke  the  solitude  of  an  ear 
lier  period.  Great  quantities  of  lumber  were  annually 
manufactured,  and  rafted  from  points  above  the  pineless 
region  to  the  river  towns  in  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin, 
and  lower  down  the  river,  to  the  various  landing  places, 
towns  and  cities,  of  Iowa,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  while 
occasionally  a  raft  would  descend  the  river  to  the  "  Lower 
Country,"  that  is,  to  the  Mississippi  River  front  of 
Arkansas  and  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and  Lou 
isiana.  The  raft  to  which  we  have  referred,  one  of  the 
largest  size,  and  made  up  of  lumber  selected  carefully  for 
that  especial  market,  was  destined  for  the  "Coast,"  that 
is,  the  beautiful  delta  of  then  highly  cultivated  lands  that 
fringed  the  banks  of  the  river,  for  some  distance  above 


10  THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST. 

New  Orleans,  and  that  might  then  claim  to  be  the  garden 
of  America. 

The  tent-like  cabins  built  upon  the  clean  and  odorous 
boards,  "joist,"  "scantling,"  &c.,  of  which  this  floating 
island  of4  lumber  was  composed,  were  constructed  of  new 
and  perfectly  clean  boards,  were  arranged  with  order  and 
neatness,  and  an  air  of  quiet  comfort  pervaded  the  group 
of  men  a  little  "aft"  the  centre  of  the  raft,  who  were  look 
ing  intently  upon  some  object  far  down  the  lake. 

"It  is  a  steamboat,"  cried  one  of  the  raftsmen  who 
had  taken  his  stand  upon  a  coop  on  the  forward  part  of 
the  raft. 

"The  first  boat  of  the  season,"  said  several  at  once. 

"  Her  swell  will  help  widen  the  channel  of  open  water 
for  us  through  yonder  ice,"  said  one,  who  appeared  to  be 
the  owner  or  master  of  the  raft;  "although  this  mild 
weather  would  soon  finish  it,"  he  quickly  added;  "and 
now,  boys,  for  breakfast." 

The  last  speaker  was  a  young  man  of  perhaps  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  about  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height, 
of  a  manly  form,  but  not  athletic,  blue  eyes,  and  rather 
pale  face,  with  a  grave  and  earnest  expression,  like  that 
of  a  man  who  had  known  but  few  holidays  in  life. 

Walter  Sydenham  was  born  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  the 
cold  and  rocky  northeast,  and  reared  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  was  left  an  orphan,  at  a  tender  age,  to  struggle  with 
bitter  poverty.  Inheriting  a  love  of  books  from  his  mother, 
he  had  made  them  his  solace  and  companions.  Some 
what  impulsive  and  imaginative,  he  was  yet  practical  and 
reflective,  with  his  own  ideas  of  duty,  horor  and  religion. 
In  temperament,  the  sanguine  and  nervous  might  be  said 
to  predominate,  with  very  little  of  the  bilious. 

Coming  to  the  new  territory  of  Minnesota  at  the  age 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  I  I 

of  twenty,  and  working  as  a  hired  laborer,  he  had,  by 
industry  and  attention  to  business,  accumulated  some  prop 
erty,  and  was  now  engaged  in  the  business  of  lumbering. 
Sprung  from  English  ancestry,  he  possessed  the  English 
qualities  of  firmness,  straight-forwardness  and  a  love  of 
"  fair^play." 

At  the  call  of  Sydenham,  the  raftsmen,  ten  in  number, 
gathered  near  the  largest  cabin,  which  stood  rather 
towards  the  leftj  or  "larboard"  side  of  the  raft,  about 
forty  feet  back  of  the  center,  and  directly  opposite  one  on 
the  right  of  the  center.  There  was  a  third  cabin  some 
seventy-five  feet  forward  of  these,  which  was  the  sitting 
and  sleeping  room  of  Sydenham  and  his  guests. 

After  performing  their  morning  ablutions,  the  whole 
party  sat  down  to  a  substantial  breakfast  of  fish  from  the 
lake,  fried;  broiled  venison,  boiled  potatoes,  fried  cakes, 
honey,  bread,  butter,  coffee,  &c.  As  the  raft  was  provided 
with  a  good  cooking-stove,  a  pretty  good  cook,  (an  intel 
ligent  lad  of  sixteen)  and  was  well  supplied  with  stores, 
the  preparation  of  a  comfortable  meal  was  at  all  times 
practicable,  and  cleanliness,  order,  regularity  and  good 
cooking  were  the  rule. 

The  meal  was  served  on  a  table  of  new  rough  boards, 
covered  with  a  clean  table-cloth,  around  which  were 
arranged  benches.  Plates,  knives  and  forks,  cups  and 
saucers,  etc.,  newly  purchased  for  the  trip,  were  not  want 
ing,  and  though  of  the  cheapest  kind,  were  yet  clean. 

The  dishes  were  all  placed  at  once  upon  the  table,  but 
the  cook  replenished  the  cups  with  coffee,  and  waited  upon 
the  table  with  the  promptness  and  courtesy  that  should 
always  be  found  at  a  first-class  hotel,  and  which  add  so 
much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  humblest  meal  from  the  hum 
blest  board. 


12  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

"  Your  fish  in  these  northern  regions  are  very  fine," 
said  a  large-framed  man  who  sat  beside  Sydenham,  near 
the  head  of  the  table,  and  seemed  to  be  either  a  passenger 
or  guest. 

u  Yes,  Doctor,  they  are,  indeed ;  and  this  clear,  cold,  pure 
water  should  furnish  better  fish  than  the  warm  and  mttddy 
water  of  the  Lower  River,"  said  Sydenham. 

"And  yet  we  get  some  good  fish  in  Louisiana,"  said  the 
person  addressed,  "  and  of  game  as  great  a  variety  as  you 
have  here." 

"  You  have  a  far  greater  variety  of  game,  I  think,"  said 
Sydenham,  laughing;  "if  you  count  the  alligators  and  all 
the  different  varieties  of  snakes,  et  cetera,  that  your  swamps 
can  boast  of," 

"  I  am  too  old  a  hunter,"  said  the  Doctor,  "not  to  refuse 
to  go  into  an  enumeration  at  breakfast,  or  we  would  see 
which  side  was  ahead." 

"We  can  stand  it  if  you  can,"  said  one  of  the  men. 
"  Without  making  out  a  catalogue,"   said   Sydenham, 
"did  you  know  that  where  we  now  are  is  considered  to  be 
about  the  extreme  northern  limit  of  the  country  in  which 
the  rattlesnake  is  found !  " 

"  I  did  not,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  although  my  St.  Paul 
friends  claim  that  there  are  no  poisonous  reptiles  in  that 
vicinity." 

"  Such  is  the  fact,"  said  Sydenham ;  "  though  found  in 
Southern  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin,  they  are  unknown  at 
St.  Paul." 

"But  you  have  mosquitoes,"  said  the  Doctor. 
"A   few,"  said  Sydenham,  "  but  in  point  of  size  and 
numbers  we  yield  the  palm  to  you." 

"  I  appreciate  your  generosity  in  admitting  that  we  of 
the  south,  are  ahead  on  snakes  and  mosquitoes,  but  which, 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  13 

think  you,  has  produced  the  most  ambitious  and  unprin 
cipled  demagogues?"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  That  is  a  question  not  so  easily  settled  by  an  enumer 
ation  of  the  different  species,  and  a  catalogue  would  be 
even  longer  than  that  we  just  now  proposed  to  make," 
said  Sydenham. 

"  It  is,  after  all,  a  sorrowful  subject,  and  one  which  we 
will  all  have  ample  time  to  discuss  hereafter,"  said  the 
Doctor, "  for  the  race  of  demagogues  will  never  become 
extinct." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  they  are  now  just  what  they 
were  two  thousand  years  ago:  the  bane  of  republics." 

"  They  correspond  exactly  with  hypocrites  in  religion," 
rejoined  the  Doctor,  "  and  our  Saviour  has  described  the 
one,  as  the  old  Greek  and  Roman  writers  have  the  other, 
as  accurately  as  ever  Cuvier  or  Buffon  classified  the  lower 
animals.  They  may  almost  be  known  at  sight." 

"  At  least  their  speech  or  roar  will  soon  betray  them," 
remarked  Sydenham. 

The  raft  was  now  fully  in  the  broad  lake,  where  it  is 
about  three  miles  in  width.  Lake  Pepin  is  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  very  high  bluffs,  all  crowned  with  forests,  and 
the  scenery  throughout  its  whole  extent  is  very  interesting, 
and  in  many  places  beautiful  and  grand. 

As  the  party  rose  from  the  table  and  walked  out  upon 
the  deck  of  their  island  ship,  the  sun  was  just  rising  over 
the  eastern  bluffs,  and  bathing  the  lake  and  valley  in  a 
flood  of  light.  The  woods  and  lofty  hills  cast  their  shad 
ows  along  the  eastern  shore,  but  the  western  shore,  still 
fringed  with  ice,  gleamed  like  a  belt  of  silver.  Down  the 
lake  to  the  southeast  considerable  ice  was  still  in  sight, 
but  a  channel  of  open  water  appeared  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  Through  this,  the  steamer,  a  large  fine 


14  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

packet  boat,  held  steadily  on  her  way.  She  was  now  dis 
tant  less  than  one  mile,  and  her  lofty  chimneys,  jack  staff, 
cabin  and  "  Texas,"  loomed  up  grandly  from  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  lake.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind,  and 
her  smoke  and  steam  ascended  to  a  great  height  in  the 
clear  air. 

As  she  neared  the  raft,  the  pilot  sounded  the  steam 
whistle,  a  kind  of  double-base  and  tenor  one,  making  the 
whole  valley  and  the  gorges  of  the  bluffs  reverberate  with 
the  shrill  and  startling  sound.  All  had  stood  silently 
watching  the  glorious  scenery,  and  the  beautiful  gem  of 
art  it  enclosed,  and,  as  the  proud  steamer  dashed  by  with 
the  speed  of  a  race- horse,  every  hat  was  off,  and  a  cheer 
went  up  for  the  "  Northern  Belle." 

"That,"  said  Sydenham,  "is  enough  to  make  a  man 
sick  of  rafting :  it  is  like  a  train  of  cars  dashing  by  an  old 
farm  wagon." 

"  In  each  case,  however,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  the  spec 
tator  enjoys  the  sight  more  than  those  on  board." 

"lam  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  the  other,  "  but  your 
philosophy  is  the  best  for  us  to  adopt,  for  we  will  have 
the  pleasure  or  pain  of  seeing  many  fine  boats  pass  by  us, 
like  a  bird  by  a  tortoise,  before  we  reach  your  State,  and  I 
fear  you  will  heartily  regret  embarking  upon  a  raft." 

"  I  think  I  can  stand  it,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and  I  can 
hunt  and  fish  as  we  go  along." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  you  can,  if  you  get  tired  of 
floating,  get  off  and  walk,  to  rest  yourself." 

Although  the  ice  was  rapidly  melting,  and  very  soft 
and  porous,  it  was  still  quite  thick,  and  the  swell  of  the 
steamer  had  broken  off  and  detached  large  cakes,  that  the 
raftsmen  had  to  avoid  by  using  their  sweeps,  (that  is,  large 
oars,)  and  by  pushing  away  from  them  with  poles  armed 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  15 

with  an  iron  pike  at  the  end.  In  this  way,  the  day  wore 
on,  and,  after  a  day  of  severe  toil,  in  which  all  hands  were 
busily  engaged,  and  in  which  even  the  Doctor  participated, 
when  night  came,  they  had  not  made  more  than  ten  miles. 
Here,  the  raft  was  moored  to  the  shore,  at  the  base  of  a 
very  steep  bluff,  some  five  hundred  feet  in  height,  the 
shore,  sides  and  summit  of  the  bluff  being  covered  with 
forest. 

After  sunset  the  air  became  quite  cold,  and  the  men 
were  glad  to  put  on  their  coats.  Owing  to  the  sluggish 
current  in  Lake  Pepin,  the  ice  freezes  in  winter  to  a  great 
thickness;  consequently,  in  the  spring  it  remains  frozen 
over  after  the  river  at  St.  Paul  and  above  has  been  open 
some  time,  and  even  when  ice  has  disappeared  from  the 
river  above  and  below,  thick  masses  can  be  found  in  Lake 
Pepin. 

After  supper  a  large  fire  was  built  upon  the  shore,  and 
around  this  the  men  gathered,  seated  upon  logs,  or  reclin 
ing  upon  blankets  or  buffalo  robes  spread  upon  the  ground. 
Some  were  playing  cards,  some  were  conversing  upon 
various  topics,  (chiefly  rafting  or  hunting  adventures),  and 
others  smoked  their  pipes  in  silence. 

Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  sat  apart  at  the  base  of  a 
high  rock,  the  perpendicular  and  even  surface  of  which 
reflected  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  fire  a  few  yards  in 
front  of  it,  conversing  upon  various  topics. 

The  contrast  between  these  two  men  was  very  great,  and 
yet  there  was  harmony  of  opinion  and  sentiment,  and  both 
were  honorable  and  high-souled  men.  In  person,  Doctor 
Ross  was  of  a  large  frame.  In  temperament  bilious, 
with  something  of  the  nervous,  lymphatic  and  sanguine. 
Of  very  dark  complexion  and  black  hair,  his  eyes  were 
blue.  His  limbs  were  large  and  muscular,  yet  his  figure 


1 6  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

was  somewhat  loose  and  ungainly,  and  his  deportment 
rather  careless  than  awkward.  His  forehead  was  high ; 
his  features  were  rather  large,  and  strongly  expressive  of 
reflection  and  deliberation. 

His  parents  had  removed  from  Virginia  during  the  war 
of  1812,  and  settled  in  northern  Louisiana,  near  the  Mis- 
sisippi  River,  and  here  Patrick  Henry  Ross  was  born. 

The  Ross  family  were  connected,  both  by  blood  and 
marriage,  with  that  of  the  great  Virginia  orator  and  pat 
riot,  and  the  subject  of  our  sketch  inherited  not  a  few 
of  his  mental  and  moral  peculiarities,  and,  in  a  remarkable, 
degree,  that  extraordinary  foresight,  sagacity  and  presci 
ence  of  things  present  and  to  come,  which  so  distinguished 
the  great  Virginian. 

But,  in  all  the  powers  and  arts  of  the  orator,  Ross,  from 
some  inexplicable  reason,  had  never  excelled,  nor  had  he, 
even  in  this  respect,  reached  the  mediocre  standing  in  his 
own  vicinity,  which  almost  every  man  of  any  culture 
was  there  expected  to  .attain.  But  he  was,  and  had  all  his 
life  been,  a  profound  student:  of  nature,  of  books,  of  men, 
of  God's  works,  and  of  God's  eternal  laws.  And  now,  at 
forty,  his  mind,  after  twenty-five  years  of  culture,  seemed 
blossoming  into  a  new  stage  of  existence,  and,  in  its 
extended  flights  and  fixed  and  accurate  learning,  gave 
promise  of  one  day  yielding  much  wholesome  fruit. 

Ambition  might  lure  him  on  more  swiftly  in  the  march 
of  life,  but  could  never  make  him  her  slave,  while  for  all 
the  petty  distinctions  of  office  and  political  life,  he  was 
indifferent. 

Yet,  in  a  patriotic  desire  to  see  his  country  go  down  the 
great  procession  of  the  ages  on  God's  great  highway  of 
virtue,  trutl>,  and  a  pure  religion,  no  man  excelled  him. 
He  followed  no  man  or  party,  and  obeyed  the  divine 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  I>J 

injunction,  "  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes,  nor  in  any  child 
of  man." 

With  such  a  man,  the  political  situation  of  the  United 
States,  at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  could  not  fail  to 
excite  the  most  intense  solicitude.  Sydenham  was  also 
deeply  interested,  though  not  as  yet  alarmed.  Both  had 
inclined,  probably,  to  the  political  views  of  Clay,  during 
the  lifetime  of  that  statesman;  and  the  younger,  more 
impulsive  and  ardent  Sydenham,  hoped  and  believed  that 
the  principles  cf  Clay,  (or  rather  of  the  Constitution  itself,) 
if  not  his  particular  plans,  might  triumph  through  their 
own  inherent  force  and  excellence;  but  his  older  and  less 
hopeful  companion  saw,  with  great  apprehension,  the 
many  elements  of  discord  wildly  raging  through  the  land, 
and  felt  that  a  young,  vigorous  and  prosperous  nation,  like 
ours,  full  of  the  life,  fire  and  energy  which  democratic 
institutions  give,  would  not  bring  to  the  solution  of  diffi 
cult  questions  that  calm  analysis  of  facts  necessary  to 
establish  the  TRUTH.  Above  all,  he  feared  that  the  great 
principles  of  charity,  mutual  respect  between  the  people 
of  the  different  parts  of  this  vastly  extended  country,  and 
kind  regard  for  the  interests  and  feelings  of  opponents, 
was  almost  wanting,  or  was,  at  least,  too  weak  to  exercise 
a  controlling  influence,  and  that  partisanship  and"  section 
alism  would  exercise  a  most  baneful  effect.  This  was,  in 
part,  the  subject  of  the  conversation,  continued  until  nine 
o'clock,  when  the  two  friends,  for  such  they  seemed  to  be 
rapidly  becoming,  rose  and  walked  towards  the  fire, 
which  the  men  had  just  deserted  for  their  beds  in  the  rear 
cabins  on  the  raft. 

After  standing  a  few  minutes  by  the  half-burned  log, 
against  which  the  fire  had  been  built,  they  went  to  the 
forward  cabin,  and,  lighting  a  lamp,  prepared  for  bed. 


1 8  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

This  cabin  was  about  eight  feet  wide  by  twelve  long, 
built  of  rough  boards,  the  sides  about  five  feet  high,  and 
the  center  of  the  steep,  tent-like  roof  about  eight  feet  in 
height.  Im  the  end  towards  the  front  of  the  raft  was  a 
narrow  door,  and  in  the  rear  end  a  small  window  set  with 
glass,  and  made  to  slide  so  as  to  admit  air. 

A  bunk  was  built  in  each  rear  corner,  about  three  feet 
from  the  floor,  each  one  being  strewn  with  pine  boughs, 
on  which  was  placed  a  mattress  and  blankets.  Each 
bunk  was  also  supplied  with  a  feather  pillow,  stuffed  with 
the  feathers  of  wild  ducks,  and  on  each  was  also  a  large 
buffalo  skin,  trophies  of  a  hunt  on  the  waters  of  the  Red 
River  of  the  north.  A  large  bear  skin  covered  the  nar 
row  space  between  the  bunks,  serving  for  a  rug  or  carpet. 
Under  the  berths  were  stowed  trunks,  and  on  each  wall 
back  of  the  berths,  hung  a  splendid  long-range  rifle.  A 
couple  of  double-barreled  shot  guns  stood  in  the  corner. 
Powder  horns,  pouches,  &c.,  hung  from  the  walls  near  the 
foot  of  the  berths. 

Over  the  door  were  placed  the  antlers  of  a  noble  buck, 
while  at  each  end  of  the  room  was  a  small,  rude  shelf, 
filled  with  various  articles  necessary  for  a  gentleman's 
toilet,  (even  on  a  raft)  as  well  as  a  few  books.  Pinned  to 
the  walls  were  a  few  pencil  sketches  of  landscapes  on 
the  upper  Mississippi,  while  most  of  the  remaining  sur 
face  was  covered  with  various  articles  of  clothing  hung 
upon  nails.  A  small  table  stood  in  the  corner.  There 
were  also  three  or  four  camp-stools.  On  the  table  lay  a 
plainly  bound  Bible.  There  were  also  one  or  two  maga 
zines  and  newspapers. 

Our  friends  undressed,  kneeled,  each  by  his  bunk,  and, 
after  a  short  mental  prayer,  were  soon  in  bed  and  asleep. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Y  the  first  grey  light  of  morning,  the  lines  that 
secured  the  raft  to  the  shore  were  cast  off,  and  our 
party  were  floating  down  the  lake.  The  Doctor 
and  one  of  the  men  intending  to  hunt  were  landed,  (after 
breakfast),  by  means  of  the  skiff,  but  at  noon  were  seen 
on  the  shore,  making  signals  for  the  skiff  to  be  sent  for 
them.  They  were  soon  taken  on  board,  and  reported 
game  scarce,  having  been  unsuccessful.  Several  wild 
ducks  were,  however,  shot  from  the  raft,  and  picked  up  by 
sending  the  skiff  for  them.  Some  fish  were  also  caught, 
the  raftsmen  keeping  hooks  constantly  "set"  for  that 
purpose. 

At  night,  no  ice  being  in  sight  ahead,  and  the  night 
clear,  Sydenham  determined  not  to  "tie  up,"  and  the 
"watches"  were  arranged  accordingly,  and  the  table  set 
for  a  midnight  meal,  made  ready  to  serve  on  short  notice. 
The  Doctor  had  spent  the  afternoon  in  reading,  while 
Sydenham  had  been  busy  clearing  floating  cakes  of  ice. 
No  ice  being  now  in  the  way,  the  benches  were  drawn 
around  the  cooking-stove,  after  supper  was  over,  and  the 
smokers  lighted  their  pipes — the  men  not  on  duty  going 
to  their  beds  at  once — Sydenham  taking  the  first  half  of 
the  night,  and  his  pilot  the  last.  Lamps  were  lighted  and 
placed  in  suitable  positions  to  notify  passing  steamers  in 
time  to  avoid  collision.  The  steersman  held  for  a  certain 
object — the  outline  of  a  spur  of  the  bluff  far  down  the 
lake. 


20  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

The  night  was  one  of  remarkable  beauty;  the  moon, 
now  near  its  full,  lighted  up  the  whole  heavens,  and  from 
the  raft  the  bluffs  encircling  the  lake  were  in  plain  view, 
and  the  lake  itself  shone  like  silver.  The  least  sound 
was  distinctly  audible  in  the  perfectly  still  and  serene 
atmosphere,  and  the  shore  echoed  back  the  voices  of  the 
men. 

Attracted  by  the  remarkable  beauty  of  the  scene,  Sy- 
denham  and  his  friend  left  the  cabin  and  paced  backward 
and  forward  on  the  slow  moving  mass.  The  starry 
heavens,  the  beautiful  and  silent  lake,  encircled  on  all 
sides  by  the  lofty  and  sombre  hills,  formed  a  scene  of 
beauty  and  grandeur  rarely  equaled. 

The  two  friends  paused  and  silently  gazed  on  the  scene. 
Almost  simultaneously  the  beautiful  words  of  the  psalm 
ist  came  into  their  minds  and  found  utterance:  "THE 
HEAVENS  DECLARE  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD,  AND  THE 
FIRMAMENT  SHOWETH  HIS  HANDIWORK." 

Save  the  occasional  ripple  from  the  long  sweep  used  in 
steering,  not  a  sound  disturbed  the  profound  stillness.  All 
seemed  hushed  as  though  they  were  floating  in  mid  air. 

Suddenly  a  loud  thundering  sound,  mingled  with  the 
crashing  of  trees  and  accompanied  by  a  loud  report,  was 
heard  on  the  face  of  the  bluff,  on  the  western  side  of  the 
lake.  The  earth  shook,  and  a  slight  tremor  was  felt  in 
the  raft.  The  echoes  of  the  bluffs  took  up  the  sound,  and 
it  rang  and  reverberated  far  up  and  down  the  lake  for 
many  seconds,  causing  the  very  air  to  thrill  and  jar  with 
the  mighty  sound. 

"What  is  that?"  exclaimed  the  astonished  Doctor,  all 
hands  rushing  out  from  the  cabins  as  he  spoke. 

"A  mass  of  rock  has  become  detatched  from  the  cliff 


THE   HEART   OF  THE   WEST.  21 

at  the  summit  of  the  bluff,   and  fallen  or  rolled  to  the 
bottom,"  said  Sydenham. 

"  It  has  produced  a  fearful  noise  and  vibration,"  said 
the  Doctor,  "such  as  I  do  not  remember  to  have  ever 
heard  before." 

"And  well  it  might,"  said  the  other,  "for  the  bluff 
there  is  almost  perpendicular,  and  a  mass  of  rock  of  per 
haps  ten  or  twenty  tons  falling  five  hundred  feet  is  enough 
to." 

"Do  such  masses  fall  often  along  this  lake  and  river?" 
said  the  Doctor,  "and  have  they  ever  caused  loss  of  life?" 

"  They  fall  but  seldom,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and  I  never 
knew  of  any  one  being  hurt  by  them.  But  a  few  miles 
below  where  we  now  are,  a  house  was  demolished  by  a 
falling  rock,  not  long  since,  but  fortunately  it  was  empty  at 
the  time." 

"  I  was  once,"  said  a  man  named  Burto.i,  "  on  a  raft 
that  was  lying  at  the  foot  of  a  bluff  below  Winona  that 
came  near  being  smashed,  but  the  stone  stopped  rolling 
just  a  few  feet  before  it  got  to  us;  and  our  old  boss  swore 
he  had  stopped  it  by  throwing  his  old  pipe  at  it." 

"Did  he  think  the  pipe  was  strong  enough  to  stop  it?" 
asked  Sydenham. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Burton,  "  but  it  was  a  very  strong 
pipe;  it  was  only  a  clay  pipe,  and  he  had  smoked  it  four 
years,  and  he  smoked  nearly  all  the  time,  except  when  he 
was  asleep  or  eating,  and  he  never  smoked  anything  but 
plug  tobacco." 

"Perhaps,"  said  one  who  went  by  the  nickname  of 
"  Sandy,"  "  perhaps  that  was  what  brought  down  the 
rock  in  the  first  place,  and  when  it  met  the  pipe  it  could 
go  no  farther  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Burton,  "  but  the  pipe  struck  the 


22  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

rock  and  broke,  and  the  old  man  was  as  cross  over  the 
loss  of  it  as  he  would  have  been  if  the  raft  had  been 
smashed,  for  he  had  to  go  nearly  a  whole  day  without 
smoking  before  he  could  get  another.  He  almost  got 
crazy — snakes  in  his  boots,"  he  added,  by  way  of  explana 
tion. 

"  You  are  spinning  some  tough  yarns  there,"  called  out 
Seth  Lane,  the  pilot;  "but  I  knew  a  little  Frenchman 
who  smoked  himself  into  a  fit  of  delirium,  if  not  delirium 
tremens" 

"How  is  it,  Doctor?"  asked  two  or  three  in  a  breath, 
44  can  a  man  get  delirium  tremens  by  smoking?" 

"  It  is  possible,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  to  get  something  very 
near  it." 

"  Do  you  think  smoking  injurious?"  asked  Burton. 

"  The  use  of  tobacco,  whether  smoking  or  chewing, 
may  or  may  not  be  injurious,"  said  the  Doctor;  "  it  depends 
upon  the  constitution  and  temperament,  state  of  health, 
&c.,  of  the  person  using  it,  and,  above  all,  how  it  is  used, 
whether  in  moderation  or  excess,  &c." 

"  As  a  general  rule,  I  believe  the  majority  of  men  who 
use  it  would  better  off  without  it,  and  of  the  remainder, 
three-fourths  use  too  much,  leaving  but  a  small  number 
who  are  benefitted  by  it;  and  yet/' said  the  Doctor,  "there 
is  a  mystery  about  tobacco  that  I  do  not  pretend  to  fathom 
fully." 

At  this  point  in  the  discussion  a  steamer  from  below 
hove  in  sight,  and  the  tobacco  question  was  dropped, 
Sandy  having  first  remarked  that  the  mystery  referred  to 
might  serve  to  account  for  Burton's  pipe  story. 

Though  still  at  a  considerable  distance,  the  sound  of  the 
paddle-wheels  striking  the  water  could  be  distinctly  heard 
in  the  still  air,  and  ere  long  the  whistle  broke  upon  the 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  23 

quiet  night,  making  the  lake  and  lofty  hills  ring  again. 
Right  onward  came  the  good  steamer,  swiftly  rushing 
over  the  smooth,  deep  water,  a  thing  of  beauty  and  of 
power.  She  soon  passed  them,  leaving  the  raft  gently 
rocking  in  her  swell. 

All  had  watched  the  beautiful  sight  in  silence,  and 
when  it  was  gone  the  Doctor  sighed  audibly. 

"  Think  you  now  that  a  spectator  on  a  raft  enjoys  the 
sight  of  a  passing  steamer  as  much  as  those  on  board  ?" 
said  Sydenham,  laughing. 

"  It  all  depends  upon  the  state  of  one's  mind,"  said 
the  Doctor,  "  if  I  allow  myself  to  think  of  the  pleasure 
of  travel  on  an  elegant  Mississippi  steamer  (the  most 
pleasant  mode  of  traveling  I  have  ever  tried,  and  one  that 
I  believe  unequaled)  I  should  soon  tire  of  this ;  but  I  had 
determined  to  see  the  great  river  of  our  country,  as  travel 
ers  see  and  feel  the  Nile,  in  a  perfectly  quiet  and  tranquil 
way,  with  plenty  of  time  for  thought,  for  study  and  com 
munion  with  Nature,  while  floating  along  the  quiet  bosom 
of  one  of  her  grandest  works." 

"  I  can  appreciate  your  aim,"  said  Sydenham,  "and 
hope  you  will  not  be  disappointed.  I  know  I  have  had 
better  thoughts,  more  true  devotion  and  more  true  pleas 
ure  on  a  much-despised  raft  than  anywhere  else.  I  al 
ways  carry  with  me  some  works  of  favorite  authors,  and 
have  read  more  profitably,  here  on  this  river,  from  the 
Bible  and  from  all  history  and  poetry,  than  anywhere 
else ;  but  never  before  have  I  had  an  appreciative  compan 
ion,  and  when  I  have  expressed  these  thoughts  to  friends 
they  laughed  at  the  idea;  some,  no  doubt,  thinking  it 
affectation  on  my  part." 

"  The  difficulty  is,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  that  people  overlook 
and  despise  the  great  blessings  a  kind  Providence  places 


24  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

immediately  before  them,  and  seek  only  the  things  that 
are  remote  and  difficult.  Had  you  been  a  tourist  from 
Europe,  come  here  to  view  and  enjoy  the  Mississippi  and 
its  scenery  by  floating  quietly  down  it  from  the  falls  to 
the  mouth,  they  would  have  thought  you  a  devoted  lover 
of  Nature,  and  using  wise  means  for  improvement  and 
enjoyment,  but  as  you  were  engaged  in  the  business  of 
rafting,  they  could  not  appreciate  the  other  uses  of  which 
we  speak." 

" Naturally  enough,  too,"  said  Sydenham  "for  we  are 
apt  when  in  business  to  be  so  much  absorbed  by  it  as  to 
pay  but  little  attention  to  other  things." 

The  two  friends  remained  in  the  glorious  night  watch 
ing  the  beautiful  heavens,  the  calm  lake  and  its  silent 
shores,  until  midnight,  when,  calling  Seth  Lane,  the  pilot, 
Sydenham  and  his  friend  retired  to  their  bunks  and  were 
soon  asleep. 


CHAPTER  III. 

'HE  sun  was  up  and  shining  full  over  the  bluffs 
when  our  friends  were  awakened  by  a  call  to 
breakfast.  Hastily  dressing  they  stepped  out,  and 
dipping  up  the  clear,  pure  water,  performed  their  morning 
ablutions. 

The  raft  was  now  just  emerging  from  the  lake  and 
entering  the  river;  the  swifter  current  carrying  it  along 
much  faster  than  the  day  before,  and  requiring  greater 
care  and  more  labor  at  the  sweeps,  both  on  account  of  the 
swifter  current  and  narrower  channel. 

"  Reed's  Landing"  was  soon  in  sight.  This  place,  a 
small  village,  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chippewa  River 
and  is  a  noted  resort  of  raftsmen ;  the  Chippewa  being  a 
region  of  pine,  and  the  seat  of  a  heavy  lumbering  busi 
ness.  Here  Sydenham  determined  to  land ;  and,  as  the 
mode  of  landing  a  raft  may  be  new  to  the  reader,  we  will 
describe  it:  To  check  the  "headway"  or  momentum  of 
such  an  immense  mass  as  a  large  Minnesota  raft  in  the 
swift  current  of  the  Mississippi,  is  an  operation  that  re 
quires  considerable  skill  and  prompt  decision  and  action. 
The  raft  was  steered  gradually  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  until  within  thirty  or  forty  yards 
of  the  shore.  The  skiff  was  then  brought  around  to  what 
sailors  or  boatmen  would  call  the  "  starboard  quarter," 
that  is,  the  right-hand  side  of  the  rear  end.  Here  a  huge 
coil  of  heavy  cable  is  ready.  The  skiff  is  manned  by 
three  men,  and  one  end  of  the  cable  taken  on  board.  The 
skiff  is  now  rowed  with  the  greatest  possible  speed  down- 


26  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WLST. 

stream,  the  cable  being  payed  out  by  those  on  the  raft;  at 
the  call  of  Sydenham  the  skiff  is  landed  hastily,  and  two 
men  spring  ashore,  and  drag  the  end  of  the  cable  coiled 
in  the  boat  up  the  bank,  and  run  for  a  small  oak  tree, 
around  which  they  pass  one  end  of  the  cable,  forming  "one 
turn,"  and  this  some  twenty  feet  from  the  end  which  the 
men  do  not  fasten,  but  hold  in  their  hands.  The  raft  has 
passed  them  by  this  time,  and  soon  the  strain  upon  the 
.heavy  cable  is  felt,  and  it  is  allowed  to  yield  many  feet, 
but  yet  strained  to  almost  its  capacity.  The  tremendous 
friction  under  this  cable  (allowed  to  slip  when  at  so  great 
a  tension)  causes  smoke,  and  would  set  it  on  fire  if  water 
was  not  thrown  on.  But  now  the  momentum  of  the  raft 
is  checked  visibly,  now  a  yielding  of  two  or  three  feet, 
and  now  the  raft  is  "snubbed,"  and  the  cable  is  made 
"  fast"  to  the  tree.  The  raft  now  swings  close  up  to  the 
bank,  and  landing  is  made  complete  by  means  of  a  heavy 
plank  laid  from  the  raft  to  the  shore. 

There  were  a  number  of  rafts  here  from  the  Chippewa, 
and  during  the  day  several  more  from  both  rivers  came 
down.  Sydenham  having  laid  in  necessary  stores  and 
made  other  business  arrangements,  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon  gave  the  orders  to  "  cast  off  the  lines,"  and 
soon  the  huge  mass  was  again  floating  with  the  current. 

Among  raftsmen  (strange  as  it  may  seem)  the  same 
emulation  of  speed  and  passing  each  other  exists  as 
among  steamboatmen,  members  of  yachting  clubs,  and 
owners  of  fast  horses.  The  fact  of  their  craft  being  so 
slow  as  to  make  the  idea  of  a  race  between  rafts  ludicrous 
does  in  no  degree  diminish  their  zeal,  but  rather  augments 
it. 

Some  rafts  float  faster  than  others,  and  in  so  piloting 
them  as  to  save  all  the  distance  possible,  and  also  keep 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  37 

• 

where  the  current  is  swiftest,  there  is  room  for  the  display 
of  great  skill;  and  there  are  also,  at  times,  in  handling  these 
unwieldy  masses,  many  desperate  straits  and  emergencies 
requiring  the  exercise  of  as  great  ability  as  that  requisite 
for  the  command  of  the  proud  ship  or  steamer.  The 
ship  has  her  sails,  the  steamer  her  engines,  but  the  raft 
must  be  managed  by  means  of  her  own  weight,  the  cur 
rent  of  the  stream,  the  sweeps,  poles  and  cable.  Colli 
sions  with  other  rafts,  with  steamers  and  other  vessels 
must  be  avoided ;  snags,  rocks,  shoals  and  sand-bars  must 
be  shunned ;  the  vicissitudes  of  the  weather  encountered  in 
rude  board  shanties;  storms  and  waves  encountered  with 
out  the  power  of  propulsion.  These  are  some  of  the  diffi 
culties  and  hardships  of  a  vocation  of  vast  importance  and 
benefit  to  the  country,  yet  but  little  known  to  fame.  Not 
a  year  passes  but  many  a  brave  man's  life  is  lost  on  some 
of  the  innumerable  rafting  streams  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  and  deeds  of  daring  done  that  are  never 
heard  of  outside  their  own  little  circle. 

There  were  now  a  large  number  of  rafts  in  the  river, 
and  the  full  measure  of  the  excitement  of  the  raftsman's 
life  began  to  be  felt  by  the  men. 

Sydenham's  mind  was  engrossed  with  other  thoughts, 
and  he  took  but  little  interest  in  passing  or  being  passed, 
though  anxious  for  a  speedy  and  safe  passage  down  the 
river  to  his  destination. 

The  men,  however,  were  allowed  their  own  way;  but 
Sydenham  always  insisted  that  nothing  should  be  done  to 
trespass  in  the  slightest  degree  upon  the  rights  of  others, 
and  that  their  competitors  should  always  be  treated  with 
courtesy.  This  prevented  any  of  those  disgraceful  fights  and 
rows  which  sometimes  occur,  though  less  common  on  the 
broad  Mississippi  than  on  some  narrower  rivers.  As  he 


28  THE   HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

enjoyed  the  respect  and  good-will  of  those  with  whom 
he  was  acquainted,  he  was  sometimes  enabled  to  prevent 
difficulties  that  might  become  serious,  and  even  fatal, 
where  large  numbers  of  raftsmen  were  thrown  together, 
and  their  passions  inflamed  by  whisky.  Though  not  of 
a  very  amiable  or  mild  temper,  he  invariably  treated  all 
others  with  respect,  and  was  always  a  peace-maker  among 
the  men  with  whom  he  was  thrown.  Straightforward, 
prompt,  honorable  and  decided  in  speech  and  action,  his 
courage  was  of  that  kind  that  never  deserts  the  post  of 
duty,  though  it  be  the  post  of  danger.  The  hardy  men 
who  follow  this  vocation  have  the  reputation  among  some 
of  the  people  of  the  river  towns,  with  whom  they  are 
brought  in  contact,  of  being  rude,  violent,  and  given  to 
rowdyism  and  vice;  and,  to  a  superficial  observer,  this 
reputation  might  seem  to  be  deserved.  But  a  closer 
acquaintance  will  show  that  these  "  manifestations"  are 
due  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  life  they  lead,  and  that 
while  men  of  robust  and  vigorous  frames,  plain  in  speech 
and  manners,  yet  in  them  are  found  as  generous  and  noble 
qualities,  as  in  the  more  polished  denizens  of  luxurious 
cities,  while  their  vices,  though  differently  manifested,  are 
no  greater  in  degree  than  those  peculiar  to  the  haunts  of 
wealth  and  fashion.  Like  sailors  after  a  long  voyage, 
some  raftsmen,  after  a  long  period  of  hardship  and 
exposure,  seem  to  feel  recreation  to  be  a  necessity,  and 
frequently  this  takes  the  form  of  drunkenness  and  debauch 
ery  ;  especially  is  this  the  case  with  those  who  have  no 
families  dependent  upon  them  for  support,  or  who  do 
not  contemplate  marriage.  But  those  who  have,  or  ex 
pect  to  have,  wives  and  homes  are  disposed  almost  al 
ways  to  save  their  money,  and  shun  these  vices  and  temp 
tations;  while  a  few  are  restrained  by  religious  considera- 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  29 

tions,  or  by  the  virtuous  teachings  of  parents.  How  often 
does  a  period  of  hardship  and  constrained  self-denial  dis 
pose  men  to  yield  at  once  to  the  allurementsof  vice.  The 
remedy  is  to  keep  the  lamp  of  faith  and  hope  trimmed 
and  brightly  burning.  Without  hope,  mankind  would 
be  miserable  indeed,  and  evil  and  worthless  as  misearble. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

'HE  change  from  the  lake  to  the  river  proper  was 
an  agreeable  one,  as  the  swift  current  now  hur 
ried  them  on  at  greater  speed;  the  river,  too, 
being  narrower,  brought  the  towering  bluffs  closer  to  the 
voyagers,  and  made  them  appear  more  grand  and  lofty. 
Spring  had  now  advanced  sufficiently  to  clothe  the  woods, 
by  the  river  side,  in  a  garb  of  light,  delicate  green,  and 
the  feathered  songsters  had  appeared  by  thousands,  mak 
ing  the  air  melodious  with  their  notes. 

Showers  and  thunder  storms  were  now  of  rather  fre 
quent  occurrence,  but  they  only  added  to  the  beauty  and 
variety  of  the  climate  and  scenery. 

The  most  delicious  fish,  bass,  pike,  pickerel,  &c.,  were 
caught  in  abundance,  and  cooked  in  various  ways.  Fresh 
butter,  milk,  eggs,  &c.,  were  to  be  had  at  the  various  land 
ing  places,  together  with  stores  of  all  kinds,  so  that  all 
fared  sumptuously  every  day. 

The  delightful  climate  of  Minnesota  has  been  the 
theme  of  many  a  tongue  and  pen,  but  never  can  it  be 
more  enjoyed  than  on  its  great  river  in  spring  and  sum 
mer.  The  air  is  clear,  pure  and  exhilerating,  free 
from  that  humidity,  so  common  in  the  eastern  States. 
The  showers  and  rain  storms  are  usually  of  short  dura 
tion,  and  when  they  are  over,  clear  off  at  once,  leaving 
the  atmosphere  more  balmy  and  delightful  than  before. 
The  long,  dreary  periods  of  rainy,  cloudy  weather,  so  com 
mon  in  most  of  the  States,  are  here  almost  unknown. 
The  skies  are  usually  cloudless,  and  both  nights  and  days 


THE    HEART    OP    THE    WEST.  3 1 

are  brilliant  and  glorious.  Throughout  most  of  the  States 
of  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  the  nights,  during 
the  summer,  are  quite  warm ;  but  in  Minnesota  and  Wis 
consin,  the  nights  are  cool,  giving  refreshing  sleep,  and 
keeping  the  system  constantly  braced  up  and  vigorous. 

Our  voyagers  were  in  excellent  health  and  spirits,  and 
the  men  were  full  of  cheerful  gaiety,  even  when  their 
duties  were  most  arduous  and  laborious. 

The  pretty  towns  they  were  passing  were  busy  with  the 
full  press  of  the  spring  trade,  now  fairly  opened.  At 
every  landing  place,  barges  were  loading  with  wheat 
(Minnesota's  great  staple)  and  steamers  were  descending 
the  river  to  LaCrosse,  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  other  points, 
with  large  "  tows  "  of  loaded  barges,  and  returning  with 
the  same  empty,  or  freighted  in  part  with  merchandise, 
groceries,  farming  implements,  harvesting  machines,  &c. 

The  surplus  wheat  product  of  Minnesota  and  western 
Wisconsin  is — or  was  at  the  time  of  our  story — collected 
chiefly  at  the  towns  along  the  Mississippi,  and  shipped 
thence,  in  bulk,  to  La  Crosse  and  other  railroad  termini 
lower  down,  in  large  barges,  towed  by  steamers.  From 
these  barges,  it  is  transferred  by  steam  elevators  to  cars 
carrying  about  ten  tons  each,  and  forwarded  to  Milwaukee 
and  Chicago.  Large  quantities  are  also  shipped  down 
the  river  to  St.  Louis,  and  some  to  New  Orleans  for 
export. 

The  river  was  now  cheerful  with  the  excrement  of 
commerce  and  travel,  and  beautiful  in  the  warmth  and 
verdure  of  the  genial  spring. 

Sydenham's  duties  were  arduous,  as  they  now  floated 
day  and  night ;  but  the  Doctor  seemed  to  enjoy,  to  the  full, 
the  beauty  of  the  glorious  days  and  starlit  nights. 

While  almost  constantly  in  sight  of  steamers  or  towns, 


32  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

glowing  with  the  warm  active  energy  of  commerce,  he 
was  yet  floating  quietly  on  the  silent  river,  and  enjoying 
all  the  tranquil  beauties  of  nature  as  much  as  though  he 
were  exploring  for  the  first  time  an  undiscovered  country, 
the  streams,  hills  and  landmarks  of  which  were  yet 
waiting  to  receive  their  names.  And  here  we  will 
remark  that  very  many  of  the  localities  of  the  upper 
Mississippi  retain  the  names  given  them  by  the  early 
French  explorers,  while  not  a  few  retain  the  original 
Indian  names. 

On  the  lower  river  this  is  not  so  much  the  case.  There 
the  bends,  islands,  &c.,  have  usually  been  named  by  the 
American  pilots,  while  most  of  the  towns  have  been 
named  by  the  early  French  or  American  settlers,  in  some 
cases  adopting  names  of  places  in  ancient  Egypt,  France 
and  Spain. 

The  third  day  after  leaving  Reeds  Landing  was  Sunday, 
and  Sydenham,  according  to  his  invariable  custom,  laid 
by  at  midnight  of  Saturday  night,  near  a  place  known  as 
Grey  Eagle's  Cave. 


CHAPTER  V. 

'E  have  said  that  our  party  had  laid  by  for  the 
Sabbath  near  a  noted  cave.  This  cave  was 
known  among  the  river  men  as  the  abode  of 
an  old  hermit  Sioux  chief.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  the 
traveller  on  the  upper  Mississippi  to  see  Indians  on  the 
river,  in  their  canoes  though  their  tribes  have  long  since 
moved  west.  But  there  is  NO  GREAT  AND  BEAUTIFUL 
RIVER  like  this  in  their  new  home,  and  they  seem  reluc 
tant  to  part  fore\  er  from  its  clear,  sweet  waters,  so  long 
their  own,  ere  the  white  man  came  in  his  power  and 
greed  to  drive  them  away. 

Grey  Eagle  had  been  a  noted  chief  in  his  day — famed 
throughout  the  entire  Sioux  and  neighboring  nations — 
and  had  known  prosperity  and  power  as  a  ruler  and 
leader.  But  misfortune  had  pursued  him.  His  seven 
sons  had  either  died  or  perished  in  battle.  He  had  out 
lived  his  wives,  brothers  and  sisters.  His  parents  had 
long  since  passed  away.  He  had  no  near  relative  living; 
his  sons  had  left  no  offspring.  Lonely  and  stricken  in 
years,  when  his  tribe  moved  away  from  their  old  homes, 
he  remained,  saying  that  he  wished  to  die  near  the  great 
river.  He  had  been  to  St.  Paul  frequently,  and  received 
an  annuity  regularly  from  the  government.  He  had,  many 
years  ago,  listened  to  the  teachings  of  a  good  missionary, 
and  had  been  converted  and  baptized  in  the  Catholic 
Church. 

At  the  point  where  our  party  moored  their  raft,  the 
river  makes  a  bend  to  the  left.  Here  the  channel  is  close 


34 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 


to  the  Wisconsin  shore,  while  opposite,  on  the  Minnesota 
side,  is  quite  a  wide  expanse  of  water,  a  kind  of  bay, 
with  but  little  current.  From  the  river  bank,  in  the 
44  bight"  of  the  bay,  back  to  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  is  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  covered  with  a  heavy  forest,  and 
is  a  favorite  resort  of  deer. 

Back  through  the  hills,  a  ravine  or  small  valley, 
drained  by  a  fine  trout  brook,  opens  up  from  the  large 
river  valley.  To  the  left  of  this  rises  a  lofty  peak,  sur 
mounted  by  a  large  dome-shaped  rock,  plainly  visible  up 
and  down  the  river  for  many  miles,  and  known  as  Grey 
Eagle's  Tower. 

On  the  side  of  the  bluff',  about  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  valley,  is  the  cave,  and  just  below  this,  a  few  rods  up 
the  little  valley  near  the  bank  of  the  stream,  in  a  beautiful 
and  sheltered  nook  remote  from  any  white  man's  abode, 
stood  the  lodge  of  the  hermit  chief.  From  his  lodge  a 
zigzag  path  led  up  the  steep  side  of  the  bluff  to  the 
entrance  to  the  cave,  which  opened  to  the  east,  and  com 
manded  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  a  full  view  of  the  rising 
sun.  From  the  cave  the  path  led  by  a  circuitous  route  to 
the  summit.  Here  Grey  Eagle  would  often  sit  for  hours, 
his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  river  and  the  steamers — the  life 
and  commerce  borne  upon  its  tide.  The  cave  was  his 
place  of  worship,  and  here,  morning  and  evening,  his  ori 
sons  were  offered  up.  It  consisted  of  an  outer  room  about 
ten  feet  in  width,  twelve  feet  in  height  and  fifteen  in  length, 
with  an  entrance  about  eight  feet  each  way.  From  this 
room  a  passage  about  three  feet  in  width  led  back  into 
the  bluff*  about  one  hundred  feet  to  another  room,  larger 
than  the  first,  and  dark  except  at  sunrise  or  just  after,  when 
for  a  short  time  it  would  be  light  enough  to  see  objects 
dimly ;  but,  at  the  winter  solstice,  the  direction  of  the  nar- 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  35 

row  passage  was  such,  that  at  the  moment  the  sun  was 
just  above  the  horizon,  its  beams  poured  full  into  the  inner 
chamber,  and  were  reflected  from  the  white  walls  and 
stalactites  with  dazzling  effulgence.  From  the  inner  room 
a  very  narrow  and  difficult  passage  led  still  farther  into 
the  bluff;  but  it  had  never  been  explored  by  white  men, 
and  if  the  Indians  had,  they  would  not  impart  any  infor 
mation  concerning  it.  Their  traditions  declared  that  far 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  bluff,  under  the  summit  of  the 
dome,  rested  the  bones  of  a  great  chief,  the  favorite  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  who  died  many  hundred  moons  before  the 
first  white  man  was  seen  upon  the  Mississippi,  and  that  a 
dreadful  fate  would  overtake  any  who  should  penetrate 
these  hidden  recesses  to  disturb  his  remains.  The  cave 
itself  was  held  sacred  and  believed  by  some  to  be  the 
abode  of  the  Great  Spirit.  Others  believed  that  he  only 
visited  it  at  that  time  of  the  year,  when  the  sun's  rays,  at 
his  command,  penetrated  to  the  inner  chamber  and  made 
it  glorious  while  he  remained. 

Pilgrimages  were  made  to.  the  cuve  at  all  seasons,  but 
the  most  sacred  period  was  the  winter  solstice.  None 
then  presumed  to  enter  the  inner  chamber  save  after  long 
preparation  by  fasting  and  penance.  They  then  entered 
before  sunrise,  and,  while  there,  remained  prostrate  on 
their  faces,  silent  and  motionless. 

In  this  climate  a  cloudy  day  or  sunrise  is  not  common 
at  this  season,  and  it  is  very  rare  indeed  to  have  successive 
mornings  without  a  bright  sunrise.  Should  there  come  a 
season,  however,  when  the  sun's  rays  did  not  enter  the 
inner  chamber  of  the  cave  at  all,  by  reason  of  clouds,  it 
was  viewed  as  an  omen  of  evil,  and  of  the  anger  of  the 
Grtat  Spirit.  Just  before  the  white  men  came,  their 
traditions  relate  that  this  occurred  for  three  seasons  in 


36  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

succession ;  and  they  believe  that  in  a  future  period  a  time 
will  come  again  when  three  winters  will  pass  in  which  no 
sunshine  will  enter  the  inner  chamber  of  the  sacred  cave, 
and,  after  that,  great  calamities  will  fall  upon  the  'white 
race. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  there  were  but  few 
Indians  in  the  vicinity;  yet  no  winter  passed  in  which,  at 
the  sacred  season,  there  were  not  some  devotees  prostrate 
in  the  silent  vault,  gladdened  annually  by  the  rays  of  the 
December  sun. 

Grey  Eagle  was  a  devout  Christian ;  but  no  pilgrim  vis 
ited  the  cave  who  was  as  strict  in  this  singular  worship 
as  himself.  He  insisted  that  he  could  in  this  way  keep 
holy  the  Christmas  season,  that  the  God  of  the  white  man 
was  the  Great  Spirit  of  the  Indian,  and  that  the  cave  was 
the  Indian's  church.  White  men,  he  said,  worshipped  in 
their  churches  at  Christmas •;  why  should  not  he,  an 
Indian,  worship  in  this  cave  at  the  Indian's  Christmas. 
The  good  priest,  rinding  that  there  were  no  traces  of"  sun 
worship  in  these  rites,  made  no  further  opposition,  but 
hung  the  sacred  symbol  of  the  church  on  the  walls  of 
both  outer  and  inner  rooms,  and  on  one  occasion  held 
mass  in  the  outer  room,  and  explained  to  the  poor,  naked 
children  of  the  woods  what  Christmas  meant.  Grey 
Eagle  firmly  believed  that  there  was  a  direct  connection 
between  the  sacred  season  of  the  Indians  and  the  Christ 
mas  of  the  white  men. 

The  good  missionary  viewed  the  coincidence  with  awe 
and  wonder,  and  saw  in  it  an  innocent  means  of  gaining 
the  affections  of  these  poor  people  to  the  pure  and  perfect 
religion  of  Christ.  And  the  transition  is  easy,  for  never, 
on  this  earth,  have  any  people,  without  the  aid  of  divine 
revelation,  attained  to  so  pure  a  religion  as  the  unlettered 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  3^ 

North  American  Indian.  Being  uninstructed  in  the 
Christian  [principles  of  mercy  and  forgiveness,  they  are 
sanguinary  and  revengeful,  but  Pagans  they  are  not  in 
in  any  sense,  and  idol  worship  is  unknown  among  them. 
Compare  the  noble  creed  of  the  untutored  Indian,  of  a 
Supreme  Being,  and  of  immortal  life  beyond  this  world, 
with  the  horrible  and  bloody  fanaticism  of  India,  the 
stupid  idolatry  of  China,  the  beastly  and  inhuman  diabol 
ism  of  Africa,  or  even  with  the  creeds  of  the  learned 
and  powerful  nations  of  antiquity:  Carthage,  Rome, 
Greece  and  Egypt,  Assyria  and  Persia;  and  how  sub 
limely  it  rises  before  us  in  its  simple  beauty  and  grandeur. 

A  Great  Good  Spirit;  an  immortal  future  of  happiness 
for  the  just  and  brave — these  are  the  grand  ideas  elimin 
ated  by  the  Indian,  and  placed  on  a  height  above  all  forms 
and  systems  of  idolatry  of  every  age  and  clime;  above 
the  Aztecs  and  Peruvians,  with  their  altars  reeking  with 
human  gore;  above  the  mythology  of  Homer  and  Virgil; 
above  the  curious  creed  of  the  men  who  built  the  Pyra 
mids,  and  their  sacred  cats  and  crocodiles;  above  the  mis 
believing  Jews,  continually  relapsing  into  idolatry,  and 
worshipping  beastly  images  even  at  the  foot  of  Sinai; 
and,  with  shame  may  we  ask,  above  how  many  of  the 
false  and  foolish  ones  who  have  perverted  Christ's  gospel, 
from  the  time  he  stood  on  the  mount  to  the  present  hour. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  Indian's  cruelty  in  war,  he 
has  been  noble  in  this,  that  he  does  not  enshrine  Deity  in 
beasts,  or  images,  or  monsters,  or  sun,  or  fire. 

Well  might  the  devoted  French  missionaries  of  early 
days  desire  to  convert,  and  promote  the  welfare  of  such 
a  race.  All  honor  to  those  kind,  noble  and  enterprising 
Frenchmen ;  those  devoted  and  gallant  Christians. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

'HE  Sabbath  morning  sun  rose  beautifully  clear, 
and,  though  some  clouds  in  the  west  and  south 
betokened  a  storm,  yet  our  two  friends  prepared 
to  pay  a  visit  to  Grey  Eagle,  to  the  cave  and  to  the  peak 
above  it. 

The  fatigue  of  the  past  few  days,  and  the  night  watches, 
caused  all  to  sleep  late  except  the  Doctor,  who,  having 
had  nothing  to  do,  rose  early,  and  with  a  spy  glass  made 
a  careful  examination  of  what  he  supposed  the  locality  of 
the  cave,  from  the  description  Sydenham  had  given  him 
the  day  previous.  He  soon,  however,  laid  down  his  glass, 
and,  shoving  a  plank  out  to  the  shore,  he  landed  and 
started  out  for  a  morning  walk  on  the  soil  of  Wisconsin. 
After  an  hour's  ramble  he  returned,  and  found  all  hands 
up  and  breakfast  nearly  ready.  Sydenham  invited  him 
to  read  prayers,  which  he  did  from  his  Episcopal  prayer- 
book,  together  with  a  selection  from  the  Psalms.  They 
then  sat  down  to  an  excellent  breakfast  of  fresh  fish  from 
the  river,  cooked  admirably,  boiled  potatoes,  baked  pota 
toes,  fried  pork,  sour  kraut,  bread,  butter,  cakes,  crackers 
and  excellent  coffee.  After  breakfast  some  articles  were 
put  up  that  could  not  fail  to  be  acceptable  to  the  poor  and 
lonely  old  man.  A  stout  bag  was  procured,  and  in  this 
Sydenham  placed  a  small  quantity  of  coffee,  sugar,  tea, 
tobacco,  bread,  crackers,  matches,  powder,  lead,  etc.  In 
another  bag  some  flour  was  provided;  in  another, 
meal  sifted  and  ready  for  use.  The  doctor  produced  a 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  39 

bottle  of  wine  and  a  New  York  pictorial  newspaper. 
These  articles  were  all  placed  in  the  bow  of  the  skiff;  and 
the  friends  entered.  The  Doctor  took  the  oars,  and  Syd- 
enham  took  a  seat  in  the  stern  and  steered  for  the  oppo 
site  shore,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant.  They 
were  at  first  obliged  to  contend  wit  i  a  very  swift  current, 
where  the  river  swept  around  the  bend,  but,  once  out  of 
this,  the  current  in  the  wide  expanse  between  the  channel 
and  the  Minnesota  side  was  very  gentle,  and  they  soon 
reached  the  shore.  Here  they  moored  their  skiff  in  a 
little  cove  at  the  extreme  terminus  of  the  crescent-shaped 
bay,  and  chained  it  securely  to  a  small  willow  tree.  Then 
dividing  the  weight  to  be  carried  between  them,  they  set 
out  for  the  bluff.  Their  way  at  first  led  through  tangled 
thickets  and  some  sedgy  miry  ground,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  make  a  considerable  detour  to  get  upon  ground 
firm  enough  to  bear  them.  At  length  they  came  to  the 
little  brook  which  they  supposed  flowed  from  the  little 
valley.  Crossing  this  on  a  small  log,  they  soon  came  to 
a  deer  path  which  they  supposed  led  up  the  valley  or 
ravine.  Nor  were  they  mistaken,  for  ere  long  the  barking 
of  a  dog  announced  that  they  were  approaching  some 
human  habitation,  and  soon  they  cume  in  sight  of  a  small 
lodge  made  of  skins.  As  we  have  said,  this  stood  a  little 
way  up  the  valley  that  opened  out  of  the  bottom-land  of 
the  river.  The  land,  however,  was  higher  even  at  the 
very  entrance  of  the  narrow  valley,  by  several  feet,  and 
the  soil  was  more  mixed  with  gravel  and  the  fragments 
of  stone.  The  brook  had  here  some  rapids  and  one  per 
pendicular  fall  of  about  two  feet  into  a  deep  pool — a  fine 
trout  hole.  About  one  hundred  yards  above  this,  on  a 
little  knoll  two  or  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sur 
rounding  land,  stood  Grey  Eagle's  lodge. 


40  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

The  little  valley  at  this  point  was  about  two  hundred 
yards  in  width,  dotted  with  scattering  oaks,  and,  on  the 
right-hand  side  the  brook  as  you  go  up  the  valley,  a  heavy 
undergrowth  of  thickets;  but  the  space  on  the  left-hand 
side  was  mostly  open  and  free  from  brushwood.  The 
brook  ran  nearly  through  the  center  of  the  valley  opposite 
the  lodge,  but  at  other  places  curved  from  side  to  side, 
laving  the  base  of  the  lofty  hills  on  each  side.  The  val 
ley  grew  gradually  narrower  back  from  the  river,  until,  at 
the  distance  of  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  it  came  to  an  end, 
or  lather  dwindled  to  a  mere  ravine,  with  steep  sides,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  swiftly  coursed  the  brook,  entering 
the  heart  of  the  valley  by  a  perpendicular  fall  of  about 
fourteen  feet. 

The  valley  was  a  favorite  resort  for  game  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year ;  and  Grey  Eagle  had  little  trouble  in  supplying 
himself  with  meat,  while  fish,  he  said,  swam  up  to  his 
door,  the  little  knoll  where  the  lodge  stood  being  only 
about  thirty  feet  from  the  water. 

On  one  side  the  lodge,  at  the  distance  of  perhaps  fifteen 
paces,  stood  a  large  oak,  near  the  root  of  which,  under  a 
projecting  rock,  bubbled  a  beautiful  spring.  The  lodge 
was  made  of  dressed  deer  skins  sewed  together  and 
stretched  over  poles,  circular  in  form,  and  about  twelve 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  ground. 

The  barking  of  his  dog  aroused  the  chief  from  a 
dreamy  reverie,  and  he  came  out  to  see  the  cause. 

Sydenham,  who  had  some  knowledge  of  Indian  man 
ners,  made  a  friendly  salutation,  which  was  returned  by 
Grey  Eagle,  who  then  in  pretty  good  English  invited  them 
to  enter.  He  was  a  man  of  about  six  feet  in  height,  and 
rather  slender,  his  features  looking  almost  emaciated. 
The  erect  form  of  the  Indian  has  become  proverbial,  but 


THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST.  4.1 

the  tall  form  of  Grey  Eagle,  from  the  weight  of  years  and 
sorrow,  was  a  little  bent.  His  face,  while  rigid  with  the 
stoical  indifference  so  characteristically  Indian,  was  yet 
softened  by  a  pensive  sadness,  and  his  deep-set  and 
piercing  eyes  looked  kindly  upon  his  guests,  whom  he 
saw  at  once  were  not  prompted  by  the  same  motives  as 
most  of  those  who  came  to  see  him. 

Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  took  their  seats  upon  a  bear 
skin  which  he  spread  for  them.  The  Doctor  produced 
his  tobacco  pouch  and  passed  it  to  the  chief,  who  took  it 
with  an  Indian  expression  of  satisfaction,  and,  after  filling 
his  pipe,  passed  it  to  Sydenham.  Their  pipes  were  soon 
lighted,  and  all  smoked  for  a  time  in  silence.  At  length 
Grey  Eagle  enquired  if  they  "  came  from  steamboat." 

"  No,"  said  Sydenham,  "  we  came  from  St.  Croix  with 
lumber  raft,"  and  he  pointed  to  where  the  raft  lay. 

"  Ugh !"  was  all  the  reply  Grey  Eagle  made,  and  all 
smoked  on  in  silence.  At  length  the  Doctor  spoke : 

"  Why  does  Grey  Eagle  live  here  alone  when  his  tribe 
have  gone  away  ?  " 

"  Grey  Eagle  is  not  living  but  dying,"  replied  the  Indian, 
and  he  extended  his  shrunken  hand  and  arm,  and  then 
bared  his  breast,  withered,  and  seamed  with  a  deep  scar. 
"•  Grey  Eagle's  fathers,  and  his  wives  and  children,  died 
near  the  Great  River,  and  so  must  he  if  the  white  man 
will  let  him,"  and  he  looked  enquiringly  at  the  Doctor. 

"  Surely,  no  one  will  disturb  you,"  said  the  Doctor,  "for 
you  would  not  harm  them." 

u  Grey  Eagle  has  fought  the  Chippewas,  but  he  has 
never  shed  white  man's  blood:  they  have  wronged  him, 
but  he  loves  the  good  missionary." 

"  But  you  are  all  alone  here,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  No,"  said  the  Indian,  "  all  around  in  these  hills  and 


42  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

valleys  sleep  those  Grey  Eagle  loved,  and  the  Great 
Spirit  whispers  to  him  in  the  winds,  and  speaks  to  him 
in  the  thunder.  Grey  Eagle's  fathers  always  believed  in 
the  Great,  Good  Spirit,  and  he  believes  in  Jesus  Christ, 
too,  and  he  loves  both."  And  he  bowed  his  head  rever 
ently. 

Neither  theDoctor  nor  Sydenham  made  any  reply,  but 
ruused  in  silence. 

The  clouds  had  been  gathering  all  the  morning,  and 
now  overspread  the  whole  heavens.  While  they  sat 
silently  musing  upon  the  words  of  the  old  chief,  a  peal  of 
thunder,  long,  loud  and  deep,  rolled  across  the  firmament 
and  died  away  in  the  distance- 
Grey  Eagle  took  his  pipe  from  his  lips,  clasped  his 
hands  and  bowed  his  head. 

Soon  it  ceased,  and  he  rose  to  his  feet,  his  eye  kindled, 
and  his  form  dilated.  "  No,"  he  said,  "the  white  man 
will  have  all  the  lands,  the  river,  the  hills,  valleys  and 
paririe ;  the  trees,  the  little  creeks,  and  the  lakes,  the  fish, 
the  deer,  the  bear,  all  the  grass,  the  rocks — everything.  If 
the  Indian  gives  them  all,  they  will  let  him  die  in  peace, 
or  the  Great  Spirit  will  punish  them,  for  he  watches  over 
his  red  children  as  well  as  the  white.  Your  great  book 
tells  you  that  not  even  a  little  bird  falls  to  the  ground 
without  his  knowledge,  and  that  he  not  only  listens  to  all 
that  we  say,  but  knows  all  that  we  think.  The  red  man 
does  not  talk  as  much  as  the  white,  but  he  will  hear  him." 
The  poor  Indian  sank  upon  the  ground,  while  his  whole 
form  quivered  with  emotion. 

Again  the  thunders  pealed  across  the  heavens,  louder, 
sharper,  fiercer  than  before.  The  terrific  sound  crashed 
through  the  nairow  valley  like  the  discharge  of  a  hun 
dred  pieces  of  artillery.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  blind- 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  43 

ing  flash,  lurid  and  awful  beyond  anything  that  either 
Sydenham  or  the  Doctor  had  seen. 

The  Indian  bowed  his  head  to  the  earth,  his  lips  moved, 
his  limbs  trembled,  and  his  heaving  breast  showed  the 
deep  emotion  that  convulsed  his  soul.  Not  a  word  was 
uttered  for  some  moments.  Sydenham  and  his  friend 
also  bowed  their  heads  in  silent  devotion.  At  length  the 
chief  rose  to  his  feet,  extended  one  hand  to  each  of  the 
white  men,  and  clasped  theirs  warmly. 

<4You,"  he  said,  uare  good  white  men." 

"  Our  red  brother  is  our  friend,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and 
God  is  the  Father  of  us  all." 

"  The  young  elk  loves  the  high  ground,  but  the  skunk 
loves  the  swamp,"  said  the  Indian. 

The  rain  now  began  to  fall  in  torrents,  but  the  skins  of 
which  the  lodge  was  made  were  dressed  in  such  a  way  as 
to  shed  the  water  very  well;  a  little  came  through  the 
hole  at  the  top,  and  hissed  upon  the  embers  of  the  morn 
ing  fire.  Grey  Eagle  produced  a  few  dry  sticks,  laid  them 
upon  the  fire  and  kindled  a  blaze,  thus  removing  the 
chilling  influences  of  the  storm  which  raged  without. 

Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  now  had  time  to  observe  the 
good  order  and  neatness  of  the  wigwam.  Grey  Eagle 
was  also  cleanly  in  his  person,  and  his  dress  was  made  of 
neatly  dressed  deer-skin. 

"  Have  they  ever  molested  you  here,  or  wanted  to  drive 
you  off?"  said  the  Doctor  at  length. 

"  Yes,"  said  Grey  Eagle,  "  land-hunters  and  deer-hunters 
have  come  here,  and  ate  my  meat  and  fish,  slept  in  my 
lodge,  and  then  told  me  I  had  no  business  here,  that  this 
was  now  the  white  man's  land,  and  that  I  ought  to  go 
west." 


44  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

"  Have  you  ever  talked  with  the  agent  at  St.  Paul  about 
it?"  enquired  Sydenham. 

"  Grey  Eagle  should  not  ask  leave  of  any  white  man  to 
stay  here,"  said  the  Chief;  "but  I  have  asked  the  agent  at 
St.  Paul,  and  he  said  I  must  go  west.  I  told  him  I  was 
the  last  of  my  blood  and  would  soon  die,  and  wanted  to  die 
here.  He  said  then  I  had  better  buy  the  land  at  the  land 
office,  or  some  white  man  might,  and  give  me  trouble. 
I  told  him  that  as  the  red  men  had  owned  it  all,  they 
might  let  one  old  man  stay  here  until  he  died,  and  then 
give  him  back  land  enough  for  his  grave,  and  I  asked  him 
to  give  me  a  paper  to  show  the  white  men  that  came  to 
my  camp.  He  said  it  would  do  no  good  if  any  one  came 
who  claimed  the  land,  and  that  I  had  better  buy  it.  I 
told  him  I  had  no  money,  and  was  too  old  to  make  any 
by  trapping.  He  said  my  tribe  could  pay  for  it  out  of 
their  annuities.  I  told  him  my  tribe  were  very  poor,  and 
needed  more  than  their  annuity.  He  then  said  he  would 
do  all  he  could  for  me;  he  would  talk  to  the  river  men 
zibout  me,  and  he  did  not  think  any  one  would  ever  be 
mean  enough  to  trouble  me,  and  the  good  missionary  said 
so  too;  and  most  of  the  white  men  have  been  good. 
Steamboatmen  gave  me  many  presents — bread  and  flour ; 
and  I  gave  them  trout.  I  rode  on  steamboat  to  St.  Paul, 
and  one  good  lady  gave  me  this,"  (and  he  produced  a 
handsome  Bible) — "  but  books  are  not  good  for  Indians. 
Another  gave  me  this,"  and  he  showed  them  a  small 
ivory  cross;  "another  one  this,"  and  he  showed  them  a 
small  pair  of  shears.  "  But  my  white  brothers  are 
hungry,  and  Grey  Eagle  will  feed  them." 

The  chief  .accordingly  set  about  and  prepared  some 
dried  venison,  while  Sydenham  produced  the  articles  they 
brought  for  him,  which  were  recived  by  Grey  Eagle  with 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  45 

an  expression  of  gratitude  and  satisfaction.  The  lodge 
contained  several  tin  cups,  plates,  etc.,  and  the  Doctor 
found  a  small  kettle  in  which  he  prepared  some  coffee,  of 
which  the  Indian  was  very  fond. 

Soon  all  were  partaking  of  a  comfortable  repast,  which 
might  be  said  to  bear  some  relation  to  both  civilized  and 
savage  life.  The  common  opinion  that  the  Indian  modes 
of  cooking  are  all  rude  and  filthy  may  be  correct  in  many 
cases ;  yet  their  mode  of  roasting  and  baking  meats,  &c., 
are  not  to  be  despised,  and  many  epicures  accustomed  to 
the  most  delicate  and  refined  processess  of  the  art  of  cook 
ing  have  pronounced  birds  roasted  in  the  ashes  by  Indians 
superior  to  anything  they  had  ever  eaten. 

By  the  time  dinner  was  over  the  rain  had  entirely 
ceased,  and  the  sun  was  shining.  The  pipes  were  again 
lighted,  and,  after  smoking  a  few  minutes  in  silence,  the 
Doctor  made  inquiry  of  Grey  Eagle  in  regard  to  the  cave, 
its  history,  &c.  As  we  have  already  given  this,  it  need 
not  be  repeated. 

Both  the  Doctor  and  Sydenham  expressed  a  desire  to 
see  it,  and  the  chief  offered  to  guide  them.  They  accord 
ingly  set  out,  having  first  prepared  a  torch  to  light  when 
they  had  entered  it. 

The  way  was  steep,  and  so  slippery  from  the  rain,  that 
even  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  found  the  ascent  very 
toilsome.  The  old  Indian  complained  of  feebleness,  and 
moved  with  difficulty  up  the  ascent. 

When  half-way  up  they  paused  to  rest,  and  the  old 
man  sat  down.  "  When  Grey  Eagle  was  young,"  he  said, 
'*  he  could  go  up  such  a  hill  like  the  deer,  but  now  he 
could  only  creep  like  the  tortoise." 

As  they  neared  the  cave,  Grey  Eagle  observed  that  a 
solitary  tree  that  stood  near  the  entrance  (the  only  one 


46  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

for  some  rods  around)  had  been  riven  by  the  lightning. 

"Oh,"  said  the  Doctor,  "I  thought  that  must  have 
struck  near,  and  so  it  did." 

"Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "it  was  terrific;  I  never  heard 
such  thunder  in  Minnessota  before." 

The  old  Indian  groaned  audibly,  and  pointed  his  with 
ered  hand  toward  it.  "  That,"  said  he,  "  was  Grey 
Eagle's  tree ;  it  is  gone,  and  death  will  soon  strike  Grey 
Eagle." 

It  was  an  oak  of  beautiful  shape,  though  somewhat 
knotty  and  stunted.  Yet  it  had  adorned  the  rough  hill 
side,  and  its  round  and  symmetrical  top  had  been  an 
object  of  beauty,  visible  for  a  great  distance,  and  from  the 
decks  of  passing  steamers  many  a  glass  had  been  leveled  at 
it  as  marking  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 

The  white  men  tried  to  console  the  chief,  but  he  uttered 
not  a  word. 

The  two  friends  looked  off  on  the  river.  Two  large 
steamers  were  in  sight,  one  bound  up,  the  other  down. 
The  Indian  heard  the  boats  and  raised  his  head  and  gazed 
long  and  earnestly  upon  them  At  length  he  rose  and  led 
the  way  into  the  cave.  After  pausing  a  few  minutes  to 
examine  the  iirst  room,  and  the  rude  carving  upon  its 
walls,  they  groped  their  way  back  through  the  long  nar 
row  passage  to  the  inner  chamber.  Here  was  darkness. 
Sydenham  produced  some  matches  and  lighted  the  torch. 
In  a  moment  a  beautiful  sight  burst  upon  them.  The 
walls  were  remarkably  smooth  and  even,  and  almost  per- 
tectly  white.  The  roof  was  arched,  and  from  it  depended 
numerous  stalactites  that  shown  in  the  light  of  the  torch 
like  silver. 

On  the  north  wall  hung  a  small  wooden  cross,  placed 
there,  as  we  have  said,  by  the  missionary.  Grey  Eagle 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  47 

moved  toward  it  and  kneeled  with  his  hands  upon  his 
forehead  for  some  minutes,  while  Sydenham  and  the  Doc 
tor  removed  their  hats  and  bowed  their  heads  reverently. 

"  What  a  beautiful  chapel,"  said  the  Doctor. 

<4  Beautiful,  indeed,"  replied  Sydenham,  "  and  I  marvel 
not  that  the  good  Father  Martel  saw  lit  to  use  it  as  such, 
for,  were  the  ascent  to  it  less  difficult,  nothing  better  could 
be  desired." 

The  floor  was  as  smooth  and  even  as  the  walls,  and  the 
air  of  the  cave  seemed  perfectly  pure.  On  the  west  was 
the  crevice  that  was  supposed  by  some  of  the  Indians  to 
lead  to  the  tomb  of  "  Great  Buffalo,"  the  famed  chief  of 
ancient  days. 

Grey  Eagle,  when  interrogated,  seemed  reluctant  to 
converse  upon  the  subject.  He,  however,  thrust  the  torch 
into  the  crevice,  lighting  it  up  for  many  yards,  and  they 
could  see  that  for  a  considerable  distance,  at  least,  it  did 
not  enlarge,  and,  as  they  were  not  prepared  to  attempt  its 
exploration,  and  as  their  kind  host  evidently  did  not  wish 
them  to  do  so,  the  friends  contented  themselves  with  en 
joying  for  half  an  hour  the  beauties  of  the  inner  chamber. 

Leaving  the  cave,  they  determined  not  to  ascend  to  the 
summit  of  the  peak,  as  both  were  fond  of  a  quiet  Sunday, 
and  had  already  encroached  upon  its  hours  of  rest  more 
than  their  wont.  Descending  the  hill,  they  bade  Grey 
Eagle  a  kind  and  respectful  good-bye. 

The  old  chief  seemed  touched,  and  held  their  hands  in 
his  as  though  they  had  always  been  his  friends,  and  he 
would  never  see  them  again.  Alas!  little  did  either  of  the 
party  think  how  soon  they  would  see  him  again,  and 
under  what  changed  circumstances.  But  the  events  that 
took  place  at  Grey  Eagle's  lodge  after  the  departure  of 
our  two  friends  must  form  the  subject  of  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

N  the  same  day  on  which  the  men  from  the  raft 
visited  Grey  Eagle,  a  common  two-horse  wagon, 
such  as  those  used  by  farmers  in  the  west  for 
hauling  may  have  been  seen  on  the  road  that  led  down 
the  river  valley.  It  was  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  in  it 
were  three  men. 

One  of  these  was  a  hunter  and  wood-chopper  named 
Bill  Smith,  whose  cabin  stood  on  the  river  bank,  about 
six  miles  above  Grey  Eagle's  lodge;  another  was  the 
surveyor  of  the  county,  named  Farley;  the  third  was  a 
burly  farmer  from  Wisconsin,  who  had  come  out  to  buy 
land,  and  was  strongly  impregnated  with  that  "  Anglo 
Saxon  propensity" — to  get  land.  His  name  was  George 
Brown;  and  he  was  one  of  that  class  of  men  never 
troubled  with  hesitation  of  purpose,  or  conscientious 
doubts  as  to  the  rightfulness  of  any  course  of  action 
which  he  had  once  decided  upon.  Generally  honest  (in 
his  way),  and  occasionally  benevolent,  he  was  yet  arbitrary 
and  unscrupulous  in  matters  that  affected  his  pecuniary 
interests,  whenever  he  thought  he  had  the  law  on  his  side, 
this  being  the  standard  that  usually  guided  him.  Being 
a  man  of  powerful  frame  and  very  passionate,  he  was 
frequently  disposed  to  resort  to  violence,  and  was  more 
feared  than  loved  by  those  who  knew  him. 

The  hunter  was  a  man  who  hated  ail  Indians,  and 
thought  they  ought  to  be  exterminated,  or  at  least  driven 
away.  Toward  them  he  had  no  conscience,  and  thought 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  49 

if  he  could  buy  an  otter  skin  worth  five  dollars  of  an 
Indian  for  a  quart  of  flour  it  was  all  right.  Yet  he  was 
not  a  bad  man  in  his  intercourse  with  whites,  and  was 
esteemed  by  many  as  quite  an  honest,  kind,  worthy  man. 
He  seemed  to  have  "two  consciences — one  for  white  men 
and  one  for  Indians." 

The  county  surveyor  being  an  officer  elected  by  the 
people,  had  long  since  learned  to  so  shape  his  course  as  to 
suit  the  largest  number  of  people.  Popularity  he  regarded 
not  only  as  the  sure  and  only  road  to  office,  but  as  the 
highest  evidence  of  the  excellence  of  a  man's  character,  and 
the  correctness  of  his  conduct — and  really  a  great  virtue 
in  itself.  Being  a  popular  man,  he  was  therefore  a  com 
placent,  self-satisfied  man ;  never  disputed  with  any  one, 
but  smiled  benignantly  upon  himself  and  all  the  world  in 
general,  except  political  opponents.  These  he  respected 
greatly,  if  in  a  majority,  but  if  a  minority,  he  viewed  them 
with  as  much  malevolence  as  could  be  expected  from  a 
mild  man  who  never  got  in  a  passion. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  party  who  were  en-route  for 
Grey  Eagle's  lodge.  Brown  had  entered  the  land  at  the 
United  States  Land  Office  at  St.  Paul,  and  was  now  going 
to  see  it.  He  had  engaged  the  surveyor  to  survey  it,  and 
Bill  Smith  to  guide  them  through  the  woods,  carry  the 
chain,  &c. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  lodge.  After  Sydenham's 
return  to  the  raft,  and  the  men  heard  of  the  cave,  &c., 
they  started  in  a  body  to  look  at  it.  On  arriving  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluff,  they  were  troubled  to  find  the  path,  and 
went  to  Grey  Eagle's  lodge.  As  soon  as  the  old  chief 
found  they  were  from  the  raft  of  the  "  Young  Elk,"  as  he 
called  Sydenham,  he  went  with  them  and  showed  them  the 
cave,  and  explained  to  them  its  wonders  and  traditions. 


50  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

This  party  had  just  gone,  and  the  old  man,  fatigued 
with  the  repeated  ascent  of  the  steep  bluff,  was  stretched 
at  full  length  on  his  pallet  of  bear-skins,  and  was  in  that 
dreamy  state  peculiar  to  age,  when  the  wagon  reached 
the  entrance  to  the  little  valley,  and  Brown,  accompanied 
by  Bill  Smith,  started  up  the  "  hollow"  in  search  of  the 
"Indian  squatter,"  as  he  called  Grey  Eagle,  of  whom,  and 
his  peculiarities,  habits,  &c.,  Smith  had  given  him  a 
lengthy  account,  colored  and  exaggerated,  as  might  be 
expected,  from  an  Indian  hater;  and  he  verily  believed  that 
there  was  a  vast  amount  of  evil  within  the  wrinkled  and 
shrunken  hide  of  the  old  hermit.  He  had  heard  of  the 
Indian  belief  in  regard  to  the  cave;  and  these  stories, 
exaggerated  and  distorted  in  a  hundred  different  ways, 
had  been  rich  food  for  his  ignorant  and  superstitious 
nature.  He  believed  the  poor,  dried-up  old  Indian  held 
direct  communication  with  the  Devil,  and  that  the  cave 
was  the  place  of  their  meeting.  He  had  often  longed  to 
visit  the  cave,  but  dared  not  do  so.  Once,  indeed,  in  com 
pany  with  another  hunter,  who  was  equally  superstitious, 
he  had  entered  the  outer  room.  Here,  with  palpitating 
hearts,  they  began  examining  the  strange,  rude  carving  on 
the  walls,  when  the  sound  of  a  voice  from  the  recesses  of 
the  cave  reached  their  ears.  Heretofore  they  had  thought 
that  midnight  was  the  hour  at  which  old  Nick  came  up 
from  below,  to  fill  his  appointments  with  Grey  Eagle ;  but 
the  instant  they  heard  the  strange  sounds  from  the  interior 
of  the  cavern,  they  knew  at  once  that  Satan  was  there 
in  person.  Grasping  their  rifles,  they  started  down  the 
hill  on  a  full  run;  nor  did  they  pause  a  moment  until,  far 
away  and  breathless,  they  paused  and  peered  back  through 
the  gloomy  and  solemn  woods,  to  see  if  pursuit  was  made. 
They  could  see  nothing  suspicious,  but  both  fancied  they 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  51 

smelt  sulphur  or  gunpowder,  they  could  not  tell  exactly 
which.  For  some  time  after  this,  Smith  complained  of 
soreness  and  stiffness  in  his  joints,  and  thought  it  some 
spell  that  the  old  Indian  necromancer  had  laid  on  him. 
His  wife,  however,  did  not  believe  the  Devil  was  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  and  that  the  soreness  was  caused  by 
running  and  jumping  down  such  a  steep  hillside.  She 
even  expressed  surprise  "  that  he  hadn't  driv  his  legs  up 
into  his  body."  Long  experience  had  convinced  her  that 
most  of  the  ills. and  mishaps  that  befell  her  husband  were 
caused  by  whisky;  and  she  hinted  that  it  was  so  in  this 
case;  an  insinuation  that  greatly  exasperated  the  usually 
good-natured  husband. 

Both  hunters,  too,  complained  that  their  rifles  would  not 
shoot  "  worth  a  cuss,"  after  this,  and  were  in  serious 
trouble  on  that  account,  until  they  met  an  aged  man  who 
hunted  in  Kentucky  in  very  early  times,  when  witches 
were  about,  who  assured  them  that  a  spell  had  been  laid 
upon  their  rifles  by  some  witch  or  wizard,  probably  by 
Grey  Eagle,  and  that  a  sure  remedy  was  to  shoot  out  of 
each  a  silver  bullet.  An  old  Spanish  dollar  was  accord 
ingly  procured  and  melted;  the  bullets  moulded,  fired  from 
the  guns,  and  all  was  right  again.  This  remarkable  proof 
convinced  even  the  good  woman,  who  never  again  dis 
puted  the  point  with  her  husband  about  the  old  chief's 
dealings  with  Satan.  Still  she  looked  with  more  dread 
to  his  visits  to  the  neighboring  village  than  to  his  occa 
sional  meeting  with  the  old  Indian  in  the  woods.  When 
ever  this  happened,  Bill  scowled  upon  the  chief  with  no 
friendly  expression,  and  Grey  Eagle  passed  on  in  quiet 
indifference. 

All  this,  and  more,  Bill  had  related  to  Brown,  who  lis 
tened  incredulously  and  remarked  that  he  would  not  let 


^•Z  THE    HEART   OF  THE   WEST. 

any  of  the  Devil's  imps  stay  on  his  land ;  that  he  was  not 
afraid  of  them,  even  if  old  Nick  was  there  in  person.  He 
would  show  them  who  owned  that  land.  With  this  bra 
vado  they  approached  the  poor  hovel  on  the  little  knoll. 

The  dog  was  lying  basking  in  the  sun,  and,  at  the  sound 
of  approaching  footsteps,  sprang  up  and  ran  towards  them 
barking  fiercely.  Brown  took  up  a  stone  and  threw  it  at 
the  dog.  It  struck  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  the  poor 
beast  limped  yelling  into  the  lodge. 

Grey  Eaele  roused  himself  from  his  couch  and  sat  up. 
Just  then  the  the  burly  form  of  Brown  with  Bill  Smith 
at  his  back  entered  the  lodge. 

"  Hello ! "  said  he  to  Grey  Eagle,  gruffly,  "  what  are  you 
doing  here?" 

The  chief  rose  with  dignity.  "  Grey  Eagle  harms  no 
one,  and  is  the  white  man's  friend,"  he  said  calmly.  "  Why 
do  you  hurt  my  dog?" 

"  Because  I  don't  1  ke  dogs  or  Indians,"  said  the  invad 
ing  ruffian,  "  as  you  will  find  out." 

The  chief's  eye  flashed  fire,  but  he  stood  motionless  as 
a  statue.  At  length  he  subdued  his  anger  and  spoke. 

"  The  dog  is  the  Indian's  friend ;  he  would  not  hurt  you, 
nor  would  I.  No  white  man  has  ever  been  turned  away 
from  Grey  Eagle's  lodge.  The  sun  is  going  down,  and  the 
night  wind  is  cold :  stay  in  Grey  Eagle's  lodge  and  eat  his 
venison." 

There  is  an  antagonism  between  good  and  evil.  There 
is  also  an  attraction  and  repulsion  of  good  and  evil  impul 
ses  in  the  continuous  action  and  reaction  of  the  human 
mind.  Brown  had  only  seen,  heretofore,  the  most 
degraded  of  the  Indians,  who  occasionally  lounged  about 
the  towns  of  Wisconsin,  whom  he  looked  upon  as  pilfer 
ing  vagabonds.  He  had  approached  the  lodge  with  the 


THE    HEART   OF  THE   WEST.  53* 

idea  of  his  own  importance,  and  the  utter  worthlessness 
of  the  old  Indian,  who  would  not  go  west.  As  the  chief 
stood  before  him  and  spoke,  there  was  that  in  his  eye  and 
bearing  which  changed  all  this  in  an  instant.  He  felt  that 
he  had  been  wrong,  that  he  had  done  wrong,  and  there,  as 
the  old  man  proffered  hospitality  in  return  for  his  rude 
ness  and  violence,  he  felt  at  first  almost  ashamed.  But 
the  calm  dignity  of  the  chief  was  a  keener  rebuke  than 
he  could  endure.  It  nettled  him,  and  touched  him  in  his 
sorest  and  meanest  point.  The  chief  had  shown  magna 
nimity,  and  this  called  for  a  like  return.  Brown  could 
not  give  a  proper  return,  for  magnanimity  formed  no  part 
of  his  nature.  And  so  the  evil  impulse  predominated,  and 
his  answer  was  what  might  have  been  expected. 

"  I  am  not  beholden  to  you  or  any  other  red  skin 
for  lodgings  or  food,"  he  said.  "I  own  this  place.  I 
have  bought  it  and  paid  for  it.  The  land  is  mine,  and  the 
law  would  give  me  this  lodge  if  I  wanted  it;  but  perhaps 
I  will  let  you  take  it  away  if  you  will  behave  yourself. 
But  I  shall  use  it  while  I  want  it,"  he  added. 

The  old  man  heard  the  beginning  of  this  cruel  speech 
with  an  expression  of  contempt  upon  his  countenance;  as 
it  proceeded,  this  changed  to  one  of  deep  grief,  and  when 
it  concluded  he  fell  back  with  a  low  moan.  "  Great 
Spirit,"  he  said,  "  help  the  poor  Indian."  He  had  borne 
wounds  and  torture,  but  this  was  too  much. 

From  the  time  the  two  white  men  had  entered  the  lodge 
the  dog  had  remained  in  a  remote  corner  out  of  sight, 
giving,  occasionally  a  low  whine  of  pain  or  growl  of 
anger.  He  had  watched  the  f  ce  of  his  master  and  of  the 
invaders  alternately.  The  strange  sympathy  and  knowl 
edge  of  his  race  seemed  at  fault  as  to  whether  they  were 
friends  or  enemies— or  whether  his  old  master  would  have 


54  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

to  fight  or  surrender.  Brown  (as  we  have  said)  was  a 
large,  powerful  man,  and  in  the  habit  of  speaking  in  a 
loud,  rough  tone,  and  gesticulating  in  rather  a  threatening 
manner,  He  did  so  on  this  occasion  in  announcing  to  the 
astonished  old  Indian  his  rights  of  ownership.  The  ani 
mal  watched  every  motion  intently,  and  when  his  old 
master  fell  back  with  a  cry  of  despair,  the  poor  little  lame 
dog  seemed  to  conclude  that  the  time  for  action  had  arrived. 
He  flew  at  Brown  with  great  energy,  and  fastened  his 
teeth  in  his  boot-leg.  That  worthy  was  afraid  of  dogs, 
and  started  back  at  first  with  an  exclamation  of  fright. 
He  soon  saw,  however,  that  the  dog  was  small,  and  the 
leather  of  his  boot-legs  very  heavy.  The  chances  of  bat 
tle  were,  therefore,  immensely  in  his  favor.  His  rage  was 
roused  to  a  fearful  pitch,  and  he  at  once  determined  to 
annihilate  the  enemy.  He  seized  him  with  both  hands, 
and  placed  him  under  his  feet  preparatory  to  stamping 
him  to  death  with  his  heavy  boots. 

The  old  Indian  revived.  He  saw  the  danger  of  his 
four-footed  companion.  He  rushed  to  drag  him  from 
under  the  foot  of  the  giant.  Brown's  blood  was  up.  He 
struck  the  old  man  a  tremendous  blow  that  felled  him 
senseless  to  the  earth.  In  doing  so  the  dog  escaped. 
Brown  turned  again  to  the  Indian.  He  saw  that  he  was 
prostrate'and  insensible,  and  that  he  could  stamp  him  with 
his  heavy  boots.  He  at  first  thought  of  doing  so,  but 
concluded  he  would  not.  He  contented  himself  with 
dragging  the  insensible  body  out  of  the  lodge  to  the  side 
of  the  knoll.  His  anger  then  cooled ;  there  was  nothing 
to  oppose  him.  His  eye  rested  on  Bill  Smith,  who  stood 
looking  on  with  amazement.  The  current  of  that  indi 
viduals  thoughts  had  turned.  What  he  had  witnessed  in 
ten  minutes  had  undone  the  fixed  prejudices  and  opinions 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  55 

of  years.  He  was  not  entirely  destitute  of  common-sense, 
and  he  had  human  feelings.  He  heard  the  Indian  call 
upon  his  Maker  in  his  grief,  and  this  had  shaken  his  faith 
in  his  being  in  league  with  the  Devil.  Indeed,  he  began 
to  think  that  if  the  Devil  was  about,  he  had  entered  into 
the  person  of  Brown.  The  little  black  dog  that  he  had 
always  supposed  to  be  the  familiar  of  the  Indian  wizard 
he  saw  was  a  perfectly  natural  dog,  and  not  at  all  super 
natural;  and  he  immediately  liked  and  pitied  the  little 
creature.  When  he  saw  the  prostrate  and  bleeding  form 
of  the  old  Indian,  he  remembered  for  the  first  time  for 
years  favors  granted  him  by  Grey  Eagle  when  he  first 
came  to  the  country,  before  any  towns  were  built;  and  a 
twinge  of  remorse  and  pity  shot  through  him.  So,  when 
Brown  lo  >ked  around  for  the  hunter's  approval,  he  saw  a 
very  different  expression  from  what  he  had  expected. 

"  I  have  cleaned  out  your  Devil's  brood,"  he  said. 

"You  did  a' big  thing,  Captain,"  said  Bill,  who  imme 
diately  brought  water  from  the  spring  and  bathed  the 
Indian's  head,  wrists  and  breast.  As  he  did  so,  he  saw 
the  deep  sc^r  that  seamed  it  This  at  once  exploded 
another  crotchet  of  his  absurd  superstition —  his  belief  in 
the  invulnerability  of  Grey  Eagle,  through  the  evil  power 
which  he  supposed  he  possessed.  He  bathed  the  old 
man's  head  for  some  time,  and  then  poured  a  little  whisky 
down  his  throat.  The  chief  opened  his  eyes  at  length, 
and  stared  wildly  about  him.  Soon  memory  brought 
back  to  him  the  recollection  of  all  that  had  passed,  and 
his  mind  at  once  connected  Bill  Smith  with  the  outrage 
done  him,  equally  with  Brown.  He  did  not  speak,  but 
motioned  him  away.  Smith  drew  back:  slowly  and  with 
difficulty  the  feeble  man  sat  up  and  leaned  his  head  on  his 
hands.  Brown  felt  relieved  at  this,  for  he  did  not  want 


56  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

any  danger  impending  over  him  of  a  chance  of  being 
tried  for  murder — if  the  killing  of  an  Indian  would  be 
accounted  murder,  or  noticed. 

At  length  the  old  man  rose  to  his  feet.  Brown  and 
Smith  both  felt  relieved,  for  both  had  feared  that  from  his 
age  and  feebleness  he  might  not  recover,  but  die  where  he 
lay.  When  he  walked  away,  therefore,  this  little  shade 
of  anxiety  was  removed. 

The  surveyor  now  came  up  and  joined  them.  Brown 
produced  a  flask  of  whisky  and  tendered  it  t  o  Smith. 
The  hunter  drank  deeply,  and  soon  all  his  old  hate  for  the 
Indians  returned.  Brown  proceeded  to  relate  to  the  sur 
veyor  all  that  had  passed,  stating  that  the  Indian  had  been 
insolent  to  him,  and  when  the  dog  attacked  him  he  came 
on  to  the  help  of  the  dog  in  assaulting  him ;  and  he  had 
"  cleaned  them  out." 

"Good  enough  for  him,"  said  the  surveyor;  "served 
him  right." 

Bill  Smith  heard  this,  and  knew  its  incorrectness,  but 
the  spark  of  manly  honor  in  him  was  not  strong  enough 
to  cause  him  to  come  out  at  once  and  maintain  the  truth 
against  a  man  like  Brown.  Indeed,  as  the  liquor  began 
to  have  more  effect  upon  him,  and  as  he  came  more  under 
the  influence  of  the  strong-willed  Brown,  he  joined  in  the 
conversation  and  endorsed  all  that  was  said,  denouncing 
Grey  Eagle  and  all  Indians  with  many  an  oath. 

Securing  their  horses  for  the  night,  and  feeding  them  in 
the  wagon-bed  or  box,  they  began  to  prepare  supper, 
using  partly  articles  brought  with  them  and  partly  those 
found  in  the  lodge.  After  supper  the  property  in  the 
lodge  was  overhauled  and  examined,  and  speculations 
indulged  in  as  to  whether  the  Indian  would  ever  come 
back  to  claim  it.  All  concluded  that  Brown  could  claim 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  57 

and  hold  the  lodge,  'the  poles  being  firmly  set  in  the  earth. 
Bill  Smith^examined  the  rifle  critically.  It  was  beauti 
fully  mounted  with  silver,  and  the  stock  was  handsomely 
carved.  On  one  side  was  an  eagle  with  wings  extended; 
on  the  other  the  same  bird  at  rest.  There  was  also  a 
steamboat  and  a  log  house.  Bill  examined  all  this  with 
delight.  He  knew  its  great  range  and  accuracy,  and  he 
longed  to  possess  it.  The  powder  horn  and  flask  were 
also  elaborately  wrought,  and  stained  with  great  skill. 
The  belt,  hunting  knife,  tomahawk,  etc.,  were  all  over 
hauled  and  examined.  So  were  all  the  little  presents  the 
chief  had  received.  The  surveyor  gave  his  particular 
attention  to  the  skins  and  robes  that  formed  the  bed — 
these  were  the  articles  that  he  coveted.  The  flask  was 
circulated  again,  and  the  probability  of  Grey  Eagle's 
whereabouts  was  discussed,  and  the  danger  of  his  seeking 
revenge  that  very  night  when  they  were  all  asleep. 

"  But,"  said  Bill  Smith,  "  he  has  no  weapons." 

"  No  matter,"  said  Brown ;  "  he  might  slip  in  and  get 
them." 

"  Yes,"  said  Farley,  "  if  we  slept  soundly  he  might 
come  back  and  kill  us  all." 

It  soon  became  the  settled  conviction  of  all  that  they 
were  not  safe  while  the  Indian  was  about. 

"  Even  if  he  went  west,"  they  said,  "  he  might  still 
plan  some  revenge."  Soon  they  all  agreed  in  wishing 
him  dead,  and  a  regret  was  expressed  that  he  had  not 
been  killed.  At  length  it  was  agreed  that  they  should 
keep  watch  that  night,  each  one  taking  his  turn.  Smith 
agreed  to  take  the  first  part  of  the  night.  Brown  and 
Farley  then  lay  down  in  Grey  Eagle's  bed  of  skins.  So 
the  victor  not  only  slept  on  the  battle-ground,  but  enjoyed 
the  spoils. 


58  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

But  let  us  leave  these  men  of  diminished  souls,  who 
give  the  lie  to  civilization,  and  follow  the  old  Indian  out 
into  the  black  and  lonely  night. 

Who  can  describe  the  wild  torrent  that  rolled  through 
his  soul,  as  he  recoiled  and  shrunk  away  from  the  loath 
some  tyrant  and  dastard.  The  Indian  is  cruel  and  merci 
less  in  war,  but  with  him  as  with  the  Bedouin,  the  rights 
of  hospitality  are  sacred.  Grey  Eagle  had  always  prided 
himself  on  this,  and  had  entertained  scores  of  white  men 
who  were  perfect  strangers,  without  remuneration.  To 
these  brutal  churls  he  had,  as  usual,  proffered  his  all,  to 
which  they  had  retorted  with  a  murderous  attack,  in  his 
own  wigwam.  No  measure  of  infamy  could  equal  this. 
That  they  could  claim  his  lodge  seemed  so  monstrous  a 
perversion  of  the  eternal  principles  of  justice  that  he  could 
not  understand  it.  His  long-cherished  hopes  of  dying  in 
peace,  where  his  race  had  lived  and  died,  were  blasted  in 
an  instant.  He  thought  of  the  tree  at  the  cave,  riven  by 
the  lightning  stroke,  and  then  the  current  of  his  thoughts 
changed.  He  thought  of  his  warning,  and  that  the  Great 
Spirit  had  decreed  the  events  of  the  day,  and  taken  him 
from  his  lodge.  At  once  he  prostrated  himself  in  prayer. 
He  then  thought  of  his  visitors  of  the  day  before.  He 
had  formed  a  high  regard  for  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor, 
and  he  longed  to  see  them.  He  instinctively  knew  that 
they  were  men  with  the  souls  of  men.  They  were 
strangers,  but  he  felt  that  they  would  succor  and  protect 
him.  Mechanically  he  started  towards  the  river;  then  he 
remembered  that  the  raft  was  on  the  other  side,  and  that 
it  was  to  start  at  midnight.  Then  he  despaired  of  ever 
seeing  them  again.  The  black  night  had  now  shut  down 
and  rain  began  to  fall.  His  fever  increased ;  he  could  go  no 
farther;  his  little  dog,  whining,  crouched  beside  his  master. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

'HILE  the  infernal  discord  of  evil  was  being 
enacted  at  the  bluff,  the  men  on  the  raft  were 
enjoying  an  excellent  supper,  and  the  cave  and 
the  old  hermit  were  the  subjects  of  conversation.  All 
were  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  cave,  and  all  united 
in  warm  commendation  of  Grey  Eagle  for  his  kindness  in 
showing  it,  &c.  Nearly  all,  too,  expressed  sympathy  for 
his  lonely  condition,  and  utter  want  of  companionship. 
One  of  them  expressed  fears  lest  he  might  suffer  some 
harm  from  lawless  hunters;  but  this  idea  was  scouted 
at  once.  As  the  land  would  not  soon  be  wanted 
for  cultivation,  it  was  conceded  by  all  that  he  would 
not  be  disturbed,  and  could  end  his  days  in  peace,  and 
would  secure,  by  his  kind  and  benevolent  acts,  the  good 
will  of  the  whites.  Indeed,  this  was  known  to  be  the 
case  already,  with  nearly  all  the  river  men. 

Soon  after  supper  the  men  went  to  bed,  but  as  it  was 
the  intention  to  start  at  midnight,  and  as  his  "watch" 
began  then,  Sydenham  determined  to  stay  up,  and  not 
"  spoil  the  night  by  a  short  sleep  in  the  first  part  of  it." 
Accordingly,  he  and  the  Doctor  went  to  their  cabin  and 
passed  the  evening  in  reading  and  conversation.  At  ten 
o'clock  it  began  to  rain,  and  seeing  that  it  was  too  dark  to 
float  safely,  Sydenham  retired,  and  was  soon  followed  by 
the  Doctor. 

At  daybreak  the  raft  was  got  under  way  again,  and  as 


60  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

a  rise  in  the  river  was  just  coming  down,  the  current  was 
unusually  swift. 

Just  below  where  the  raft  had  been  moored  the  river 
bends  to  the  left.  It  then  bends  sharply  back  to  the  right 
again,  and  at  the  bight  of  this  last  bend,  the  channel  sets  in 
close  to  the  Minnesota  shore.  Here,  at  a  distance  from 
the  cave  of  about  one  and  a  half  miles,  in  a  direct  line,  is 
a  broad  shelving  rock  that  commands  a  view  of  the  river 
below  for  a  long  distance.  As  the  raft  neared  this  the 
raftsmen's  ears  were  saluted  with  a  wild  and  peculiar 
sound.  It  seemed  like  a  human  voice,  but  different  from 
anything  they  had  ever  heard.  All  listened  in  silence  to 
its  wild,  mournful  wailing.  At  length  one  of  the  men, 
who  had  been  much  among  the  Indians,  said  he  thought 
it  was  the  death-song  of  a  Sioux  warrior.  All  eyes  were 
now  turned  in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  pro 
ceeded,  but  a  clump  of  willows  obstructed  the  view. 
This  was  soon  passed,  and  they  saw,  standing  upon  the 
rock,  the  tall  form  of  Grey  Eagle.  He  was  looking  down 
the  river,  and  with  his  right  hand  held  aloft,  was  chanting, 
in  the  Sioux  language,  his  wild  and  solemn  dirge.  At 
times  the  measure  was  slow  and  plaintive,  and  then  sharp, 
loud  and  discordant.  As  they  neared  him  Sydenham 
went 'to  the  edge  of  the  raft  and  called  to  him.  He 
turned  toward  them,  and  all  were  startled  at  the  ghostly 
and  deathlike  expression  of  his  face.  His  dress  also  was 
soiled  with  rain  and  mud,  and  spotted  with  several  blood 
stains.  He  did  not  seem  to  notice  them,  but  continued 
the  death-song  with  his  face  upturned  and  pointing  with 
his  right  hand  toward  the  zenith. 

"  Some  accident  has  happened  him,"  said  Sydenham, 
"  or  he  is  mad.  Throw  her  in,"  he  said  to  the  steersman; 
"  we  will  land  and  see  what  is  the  matter." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  6 1 

The  men  sprang  to  obey  the  order  with  alacrity;  land 
ing  was  effected  a  short  distance  below,  and  soon  the  long, 
even  mass  grated  against  the  gravelly  bank.  All  landed, 
but  the  Doctor  suggested  that  they  should  not  go  to  him 
cr  attract  his  attention  until  his  mood  changed.  Accord 
ingly,  they  crouched  behind  the  bushes  and  listened ;  and 
this  was  the  death-song  of  Grey  Eagle : 

"  Great  Spirit,  God  and  Father  of  all  men, 

And  Jesus,  Savior  of  white  men  and  Indians, 

Master  of  all  the  earth, 

Of  the  clouds  and  winds,  of  lightning  and  thunder, 

Of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars, 

Of  the  white  man  and  Indian, 

Of  the  bear,  the  elk  and  buffa'o, 

Of  the  little  fishes,,  of  the  deer, 

And  of  all  things ; 

Oh  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  poor  Indian, 

Grey  Eagle  is  dying,  he  is  passing  away, 

From  the  hunting-grounds  of  his  fathers, 

His  spirit  is  broken,  his  heart  is  gone,  • 

He  is  too  old  for  war, 

He  can  only  die. 

The  bad  white  men  have  come, 

When  he  offered  them  food  and  shelter, 

They  beat  and  robbed  him ; 

A  dog  is  better  than  they, 

They  are  worse  than  a  beast. 

Destroy  them,  sweep  them  away, 

For  Grey  Eagle  cannot,  he  is  too  old, 

He  is  weak  and  sick,  and  will  soon  die, 

His  wives  and  his  children  are  dead, 

His  kindred  are  dead 

Or  gone  toward  the  setting  sun. 

His  tribe  have  gone, 

Hide  them  from  the  white  men, 

Or  they  will  die  and  be  gone. 


2  THE   HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

Keep  them  from  the  bad  white  men, 

Or  much  blood  will  be  shed. 

Give  power  to  the  good  white  men, 

Give  them  children  like  the  leaves  of  the  trees, 

And  good  deeds  like  drops  of  rain. 

Keep  away  the  white  men's  laws 

From  the  red  men, 

And  give  to  the  red  men 

Peace  and  the  white  men's  knowledge. 

And  now,  Great  Spirit  and  Father, 

Forgive  all  Indians  and  all  white  men, 

Reach  out  your  hand  and  take  Grey  Eagle  home." 

The  wild  chant  ceased,  and  the  raftsmen  saw  the  chief 
prostrate  himself  upon  the  cold  rock.  Sydenham  and  the 
Doctor  knew  that  he  was  engaged  in  prayer,  and  motioned 
the  men  to  remain  quiet.  Soon  they  saw  him  rise  to  a 
sitting  posture,  and  turn  his  face  down  the  river.  Motion 
ing  to  the  men  not  to  show  themselves,  the  two  friends 
walked  forward  to  the  rock.  The  Indian  saw  them,  but 
gazed  vacantly  upon  them,  without  any  sign  of  recogni 
tion.  "  Grey  Eagle,"  said  Sydenham  kindly,  "  what  has 
happened  ?  what  is  the  matter  ?"  They  drew  near  to  him 
and  each  gently  took  one  of  his  hands  in  theirs.  The 
wildness  in  his  eyes  changed,  he  uttered  no  word,  but  his 
breast  heaved  and  his  whole  frame  trembled  with  emotion. 
Tears  rolled  down  his  shrunken  and  emaciated  cheeks. 
Oh!  the  might,  the  power,  of  human  kindness  and  sym 
pathy.  This  stoic  of  the  woods  had  borne  wounds  and 
torture  without  a  murmer,  calamity  of  all  kinds  without 
a  tear;  but  the  kind,  sympathetic  words  of  the  white 
stranger,  went  at  once  to  his  heart.  He  told  them  the 
story  of  his  wrongs.  The  Doctor  felt  his  pulse,  and  found 
it  indicating  an  alarmed  state;  he  was  in  a  raging  fever. 

"  God  is  good,"  said  the  old  chief.     "  He  has  sent  the 


THE   HEART   OP  THE   WEST.  63 

<  Young  Elk'  and  his  friend  to  see  that  Grey  Eagle  shall 
not  die  like  a  dog  and  be  eaten  by  wolves." 

The  men  gathered  around;  the  suffering  man  grasped 
the  hand  of  each.  They  took  him  on  board  the  raft  and 
laid  him  in  Sydenham's  bunk.  The  poor  little  lame  dog 
followed,  and  was  fed  abundantly  by  the  men,  and  an  old 
coat  spread  for  him  to  sleep  on, — he  was  adopted  by  the 
raftsmen  at  once. 

The  Doctor  prepared  some  medicine;  but  the  sick  man 
said,  "  No  use,  no  use."  The  Doctor  finally  prevailed 
upon  him  to  take  something  to  allay  the  fever.  He  then 
mentioned  the  name  of  his  old  friend,  the  missionary  at 
St.  Paul;  and  Sydenham  told  him  he  would  write  a  letter 
to  him,  and  send  up  by  the  first  boat.  This  done,  Syden 
ham  started  with  the  men  for  Grey  Eagle's  lodge,  leaving 
two  men  on  the  raft  with  directions  to  hail  the  first  passing 
steamboat  bound  up,  and  put  the  letter  on  board  by  going 
out  in  the  skiff. 

The  Doctor  remained  with  his  patient,  who  seemed  in 
great  pain,  and  was  occasionally  delirious.  The  raftsmen 
took  with  them  their  guns.  The  little  dog  started  to  go  with 
them.  He  then  ran  back  to  his  old  master,  whined,  and 
looked  wistfully  up  at  the  bunk  where  he  lay.  He  then 
looked  up  at  the  Doctor,  who  sat  beside  the  bunk,  and 
knew  he  was  a  friend.  Then  he  started  as  fast  as  he 
could  go,  after  the  party  going  to  his  master's  old  camp, 
whose  errand  he  seemed  to  know. 

The  raftsmen  proposed  nothing  else  than  to  "  clean  out" 
the  invading  robbers.  As  for  Sydenham,  he  was  greatly 
exasperated,  but  not  at  all  disposed  to  take  the  least  ad 
vantage  on  account  of  the  strength  of  his  party.  He  felt, 
however,  anxious  that  they  should  attempt  to  treat 
him  as  they  had  the  poor,  helpless  Indian.  He  hoped 


64  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

for  this,  and  felt  half  inclined  to  make  a  special  effort  to 
have  them  do  so. 

He  finally  concluded  to  send  on  a  scout  to  reconnoitre. 
Calling  u  Sandy  "  to  his  side,  he  explained  to  him  that  he 
wanted  him  to  know  who  and  what  the  party  at  the  lodge 
were,  and  that  he  wanted  to  know  whether  or  not  the  fault 
was  wholly  on  one  side  before  he  reached  there,  especially 
as  the  men  were  excited,  and  the  facts  might  be  learned  by 
one  man  better  than  by  a  display  of  force. 

The  intelligent  fellow  at  once  expressed  his  readiness  to 
go  on  and  see  what  they  had  to  say  for  themselves,  before 
they  knew  that  any  one  was  in  the  neighborhood  who 
cared  for  an  Indian's  life  or  rights,  and  departed  with  an 
admonition  from  Sydenham  to  keep  cool,  and  not  to  come 
back,  but  stay  at  the  lodge  until  the  party  came  up. 
Sandy  hurried  along  at  a  rapid  pace,  while  the  rest  went 
slowly,  and  finally  sat  down,  and  all  took  a  smoke.  And 
this  smoke  seemed  to  dispose  them  all  to  act  with  deliber 
ation,  and  direct  their  efforts,  as  Sydenham  had  indicated, 
to  get  at  the  facts  of  the  whole  affair. 

When  Sandy  reached  the  lodge,  they  (Brown's  party) 
had  not  left  it,  but  had  just  breakfasted,  and  were  pre 
paring  to  begin  the  work  of  surveying — running  lines, 
rinding  corners,  etc.  Brown  had  bought  half  a  section, 
he  said,  and  wished  to  have  the  lines  established,  and  per 
manent  marks  placed  at  each  corner.  The  surveyor  said 
he  knew  of  one  u  original  corner  "  in  the  vicinity,  estab 
lished  by  the  United  States  survey,  and  proposed  to  go  to 
that  and  make  it  a  starting-point. 

As  Sandy  drew  near,  he  recognized  Bill  Smith,  with 
whom  he  had  once  been  on  a  raft,  and  a  colloquy  ensued 
in  which  all  took  a  part;  and  Brown,  supposing  from 
Sandy's  comments,  that  he  was  highly  gratified  at  what 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  65 

had  been  done  to  the  owner  of  the  lodge,  made  no  dis 
guise,  but  seemed  to  take  some  pride  in  having  been  the 
aggressor;  and  gave  a  pretty  true  account  of  the  whole 
affair,  save  in  the  matter  of  the  Indian's  trying  to  rescue 
his  dog;  this  he  persisted  in  rendering,  "The  old  villain 
undertook  to  help  his  dog  against  me."  At  this  Bill 
Smith  only  grinned,  and  glared  at  the  huge  feet  encased 
in  heavy  cow-hide  boots,  and  the  stalwart  form  of  the 
speaker. 

"Ain't  you  afraid,"  said  Sandy,  "that  he  will  shoot 
some  of  you,  or  get  a  crowd  of  red-skins  and  attack  you 
while  you  are  here;  or,  after  you  settle  here,  if  you  do 
settle,  that  they  will  retaliate  in  some  way  ?  " 

Brown  gave  an  uneasy  look,  at  this,  and  said  he  "  wished 

all  the  d d  Indians  were  killed  or  moved  a  thousand 

miles  farther  west."  "  There  are  none  about  here,"  he 
said,  "  except  the  old  squatter  who  lived  here." 

"  Yes  there  are,"  said  Sandy ;  "  there  are  six  families 
and  eight  men  camped  ten  miles  back  of  here." 

Brown  started  as  though  a  mine  had  opened,  and  both 
Smith  and  the  surveyor  looked  alarmed. 

"  Are  you  sure  of  this,  and  how  do  you  know?"  they 
anxiously  enquired. 

"  I  was  told  so  yesterday  by  a  man  who  knows,"  said 
Sandy.  And  so  he  had  been,  for  when  coming  down 
from  the  cave  the  day  before,  he  had  asked  Grey  Eagle  if 
there  were  any  other  Indians  near,  and  he  had  mentioned 
these,  as  also  some  on  the  river. 

Smith  reflected.  He  knew  the  vengeful  Indian  character, 
and  supposed  Grey  Eagle  like  all  the  rest.  He  knew  full 
well  the  heinousness  of  the  outrage  done  him,  and  that  he 
had  gone  at  once  to  the  Indian  camp  he  had  no  doubt, 
not  knowing  that  in  his  feeble  state  this  was  impossible. 


66  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

He  thought  of  his  own  exposed  life,  hunting  through  the 
woods  alone,  and  how  easy  it  would  be  for  an  Indian  to 
shoot  him  from  behind  a  tree.  Brown  lived  in  Wisconsin, 
and  could  stay  there,  if  necessary,  and  the  surveyor  too 
would  be  safe  enough ;  he  alone  would  have  to  suffer  for  it 
all.  As  for  getting  possession  of  the  coveted  rifle,  this  he 
now  saw  would  be  the  height  of  folly,  and  sure  to  get 
him  into  trouble.  As  he  thought  of  all  this,  he  felt  a  fierce 
rage  against  Brown,  whom  he  thought  was  the  cause  of  it 
all.  He  was  at  once  greatly  frightened  and  enraged. 
While  in  this  state  of  mind  he  saw  a  party  of  men  ap 
proaching.  It  was  Sydenham  and  the  raftsmen.  Relieved 
to  see  that  they  were  white  men,  and  not  Indians,  as  he 
had  at  first  glance  thought  they  might  be,  he  went  out  to 
meet  them.  Sydenham  he  knew,  having  once  been 
saved  by  him  from  drowning,  when  he  had  got  drunk  and 
fallen  off  a  raft.  He  was  overjoyed  to  see  him,  and  very 
hearty  and  demonstrative,  but  his  reception  by  Sydenham 
and  all  the  men  was  chilling.  Brown  and  the  surveyor 
also  felt  sure  of  their  scalps  for  the  present,  and  safe 
against  the  eight  Indian  warriors,  when  they  saw  the  rifles 
and  stalwart  forms  of  the  raftsmen. 

Sydenham  did  not  bid  good  morning,  or  ask  an  invita 
tion  to  enter.  Sandy  had  whispered  a  few  words  in  his 
ear,  and  he  knew  Brown  and  his  guilt. 

That  worthy  was  sitting  upon  Grey  Eagle's  bed  of  skins 
beside  the  surveyor,  examining  a  plat  of  the  township, 
which  was  spread  upon  their  knees.  He  was  a  little  sur 
prised  that  the  party  entered  without  his  invitation,  but 
supposed  it  was  by  the  invitation  of  Bill  Smith.  That 
individual,  however,  was  outside,  having  a  word  with 
Sandy. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  gentlemen,"  said  Brown,  "  glad  to 


THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST.  67 

see  you,  for  we  had  just  heard  news  that  made  us  feel  a 
little  uneasy,  lest  some  of  you  should  be  killed  and  scalped 

by  some  d d  Indians  they  say  are  hanging  around,  a 

few  miles  back." 

"Ah,"  said  Sydenham,  "why  should  you  be  afraid? 
The  Indians  are  peaceable,  and  the  hunters  and  fur-buyers 
say  they  can  go  anywhere  among  them  with  bags  of  silver 
coin,  and  be  safer  than  among  white  men,  if  known  to 
have  money.  '  The  word  of  a  Sioux  is  good/  " 

We  have  said  that  Brown  was  a  self-sufficient,  over 
bearing  man,  always  determined  to  have  his  own  way, 
and  inclined  to  play  the  bully. 

The  words  of  Sydenham  were  calmly  spoken,  but  his 
eye  blazed  with  a  stern  accusation  that  somewhat  awed 
and  yet  angered  him. 

"The  reason  I  thought  there  was  danger  from  them  just 
now,"  he  said,  "  was  that  we  had  a  difficulty  with  an  old 
Indian  squatter,  in  the  course  of  which  I  knocked  him 
down ;  and  he  went  away  to  bring  the  others  down  on  us." 

"Ah,"  said  Sydenham,  "where  did  you  have  the  fracas." 

"Oh,  right  here,"  said  Brown,  "here  in  the  wig- 
wanii" 

He  then  went  on  to  give  an  account  of  the  affair,  much 
more  favorable  to  himself  than  that  given  to  Sandy ;  yet 
the  essential  facts,  though  obscured,  still  remained.  Sy 
denham  heard  him  through  patiently  and  then  spoke : 

"  You  came  to  this  poor  old  man's  lodge  and  assaulted 
and  maimed  his  dog  for  merely  barking  to  give  warning 
of  your  approach.  You  then  entered  the  lodge  rudely, 
but  yet  the  Indian,  instead  of  compelling  you  to  leave, 
tendered  you  his  hospitality.  You  replied  with  a  menace; 
and  then  the  little  dog  attacked  but  could  not  possibly  hurt 
you.  You  attempted  to  mangle  or  kill  the  dog — which 


68  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

you  had  already  wantonly  injured — right  under  his  mas 
ter's  roof  and  before  his  face.  He,  it  seems,  tried  to  save 
his  faithful  dog  from  your  brutal  violence,  without  hurting 
you ;  and  then  you  struck  him  to  the  earth,  and  afterwards 
dragged  his  insensible  body  out  of  his  own  lodge,  which 
you  have  since  occupied.  No  wonder  you  are  afraid  of 
vengeance  from  Indians !  It  is  such  villains  as  you  that 
bring  on  trouble,  and  jeopardize  the  lives  of  hundreds  of 
helpless  families  on  the  frontier;  and  for  this,  as  well  as 
for  the  wrong  done  to  the  Indian,  you  shall  be  punished. 
You  shall  not  play  the  ruffian  and  robber  with  impunity. 
There  is  law  enough  to  reach  you ;  and  it  shall  be  enforced." 

Brown  was  thunderstruck,  amazed,  frightened.  He  felt 
somewhat  as  a  country  village  bully  on  his  first  visit  to  the 
city  might  feel  in  finding  himself  in  the  grasp  of  the  police. 
As  Sydenham  spoke  in  a  firm  (and  somewhat  loud  and 
angry)  tone,  his  face  alternately  flushed  with  rage  and 
paled  with  fear.  He  looked  around,  and  saw  only  the 
stern  and  angry  looks  of  resolute  men  bent  on  him.  He 
turned  to  the  surveyor  by  his  side,  but  that  gentleman  saw 
clearly  that  the  wind  of  popular  sentiment  had  changed 
during  the  night,  and  blew  now  rather  strong  from  another 
quarter;  and  he  had  no  notion  of  opposing  it.  If  in  favor 
of  Brown,  he  prepared  to  drift  until  he  should  get  in  a 
crowd  where  that  side  would  be  strongest.  But  he  had 
fears  that  that  would  not  happen,  and  so  gave  him  no 
sympathy  or  support. 

Brown  glared  around  him  like  a  wolf  caught  in  a  trap. 
He  called  out  for  Bill  Smith,  but  that  individual  made  no 
response.  He  had  heard  of  the  summary  practice  of  lynch 
law;  and  he  thought  the  crowd  had  come  to  lynch  him. 
His  face  became  livid,  and  he  quivered  in  every  limb  with 
fear  and  rage.  At  length  he  spoke  out  that  "  it  was  his 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  69 

land ;  he  had  bought  it  and  paid  for  it,  and  no  one  had  any 
business  on  it  without  his  leave. 

Among  Sydenham's  crew  there  was  a  large-framed, 
powerful  and  good-natured  man  named  James  Brady.  He 
was  a  very  quiet  and  peaceable  man,  but,  when  once 
roused  to  anger,  he  was  like  a  roused  lion.  He  had  felt 
great  indignation  at  the  treatment  of  Grey  Eagle,  and  now 
that  the  whole  matter  was  proven,  this  was  intensified. 
But  the  last  assertion  of  Brown  was  the  straw  too  much ; 
it  was  the  spark  that  fired  the  magazine  of  his  wrath. 

"  You  d d  scoundrel,"  he  said  in  a  voice  of  thunder; 

"do  you  tell  me  I  have  no  right  to  walk  through  these  wild 
woods  without  your  leave  ?"  and  as  he  spoke  he  doubled 
his  fist  and  raised  his  arm  in  a  menacing  manner. 

Brown  saw  that  his  peculiar  ideas  of  the  rights  of  own 
ership  were  not  "  healthy"  in  that  locality;  and  he  replied, 
slowly  and  deprecatingly : 

"  You  have  no  right  to  cut  my  timber  without  my  con 
sent." 

"  Timber  be  d d,"  said  the  raftsman,  "who  is  talking 

of  cutting  timber?  You  come  here  talking  this  d d 

meanness,  and,  like  a  d d  coward,  almost  murder  a 

helpless  old  Indian;  and  now,  when  a  man  faces  you  who 
is  able  to  thrash  the  devil  out  of  you,  you  talk  about  cutting 
timber." 

"  Has  not  a  man  a  right  to  forbid  another  to  come  on  to 
his  premises?"  said  Brown,  appealing  to  the  surveyor. 

Thus  appealed  to,  Farley  deliberated  with  great  gravity 
for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  replied : 

"  If  a  man  has  his  land  fenced,  he  may  forbid  another 
to  come  inside  his  enclosure  by  proper  notice." 

"  You,"  said  Sydenham,  "are  a  stranger  here;  and  who 
knows  your  ownership  or  the  boundaries  of  your  land?" 


7O  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

"  I  have  here  a  certificate  of  entry,"  said  Brown,  "  from 
the  Land  Office  at  St.  Paul ;"  and  he  handed  the  paper  to 
Sydenham,  who  looked  at  it  and  made  a  careful  memo 
randum  in  his  pocket-book  of  Brown's  name. 

"  This  is  your  name  is  it?"  he  said,  turning  to  Brown. 

That  brave  man  had  partly  recovered  from  his  fear  of 
being  lynched  by  the  raftsmen ;  but  this  question  awakened 
another  fear- — that  of  being  arrested  and  punished  by  law, 
and  he  hesitated  about  answering,  lest  a  warrant  should 
be  issued  for  him ;  but  finally  concluded  that  it  would  be 
useless  for  him  to  deny  his  name,  and  so  answered  that  it 
was. 

This  hesitation,  however,  had  been  noticed  by  all  the 
men ;  and  Brady,  whose  wrath  had  not  cooled,  at  once 
challenged  Brown  to  a  fist-fight.  This  invitation  Brown 
very  mildly  declined ;  and  Sydenham,  fearing  Brady  would 
assault  him,  took  Brady  one  side  and  explained  his  inten 
tion  to  have  Brown  arrested,  and,  if  possible,  punished 
legally;  and  requested  Brady  to  let  him  alone,  which  he 
promised  to  do. 

He  then  told  the  men  that  Grey  Eagle  had  wanted  them 
to  bring  all  his  things  to  the  raft.  Accordingly,  the  men 
stripped  the  covering  from  the  lodge-poles,  folded  it  care 
fully,  collected  all  the  various  articles  that  belonged  to  the 
chief,  and,  dividing  the  weight  among  them,  started  for  the 
raft.  Sydenham  took  the  surveyor  one  side,  and  explained 
to  him  the  necessity  of  righting  this  wrong  in  a  proper 
way,  and  the  deep  interest  the  people  of  the  neighborhood 
had  in  seeing  to  it  that  it  was  done.  Farley  did  not  say 
much,  but,  after  considerable  urging,  he  gave  Sydenham 
his  word  that  he  would  make  no  effort  tc  avoid  being  sub- 
penaed  as  a  witness,  and  that  he  would  not  throw  any 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  fair  and  speedy  trial. 


THE    HEART   OP   THE    WEST.  7 1 

This  settled,  Sydenham  called  Bill  Smith;  and  they 
walked  out  some  distance  on  the  way  towards  the  raft. 
Pausing  then,  Sydenham  spoke : 

"  Bill,  did  I  not  save  your  life  once?" 

"  Yes,  Captain,  you  did ;  and  I  will  never  forget  it," 
said  the  hunter. 

"  Well,  Bill,"  said  Sydenham,  "  I  now  wish  to  ask  you 
to  act  like  a  man  about  this  affair." 

"  How,  Captain  ?  what  do  you  mean  ? "  inquired  Bill. 

"  Why,  simply  this :  You,  I  know,  are  an  Indian-hater, 
and  think  a  wrong  done  to  an  Indian  is  simply  no  wrong 
at  all." 

" That's  a  good  deal  so,  Captain;  yet  I  felt  sorry  for  the 
old  man  when  this  big  fellow  abused  him." 

"  Well,  Bill,  I  want  you  to  promise  me  three  or  four 
things.  One  is  that  you  will  drink  no  whisky  before 
Wednesday." 

"  That 's  a  long  time,  Cap. ;  but  I  '11  promise  you  not  to 
drink  but  a  small  swig  before  breakfast/' 

"  All  right,"  said  Sydenham ;  anow  promise  me  that  you 
will  not  talk  with  Brown  about  this  Indian  affair." 

"  I  promise,"  said  Bill. 

"  Now  promise  to  be  on  hand  at  the  trial,  and  tell  the 
whole  and  exact  truth." 

"  I  will,"  said  Smith,  "  and  here's  my  hand  on  it." 

They  shook  hands  and  Sydenham  followed  on  to  the 
raft,  while  Bill  went  back  to  carry  chain. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

N  arrival  at  the  raft  Sydenham  selected  a  suitable 
spot  on  the  river  bank,  and  directed  the  men  to 
cut  lodge-poles,  and  set  up  the  lodge  just  as  it  had 
been,  and  place  the  articles  belonging  to  Grey  Eagle 
inside.  He  then  went  on  board  the  raft  and  found  the 
chief  asleep. 

A  steamer  had  just  passed  up  the  river,  and  the  letter 
had  been  sent  to  the  missionary  at  St.  Paul. 

Telling  the  Doctor  what  had  passed,  Sydenham,  then, 
accompanied  by  Sandy,  started  for  the  little  town  six 
miles  below.  Arrived  there,  he  went  to  the  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  soon  succeeded  in  having  the  constable 
dispatched  on  horseback  with  a  warrant  for  Brown,  and 
subpenas  for  Bill  Smith  and  Farley  as  witnesses.  The 
Justice  showed  little  disposition  to  act  at  first,  in  a  case  of 
an  Indian  against  a  white  man,  yet  he  finally  agreed  with 
Sydenham,  that  justice  demanded,  and  the  public  interest 
required,  that  an  examination  should  be  had.  After  get 
ting  some  refreshment,  the  two  then  started  back,  the 
hour  of  the  trial  having  been  fixed  at  nine  o'clock  the  fol 
lowing  morning. 

The  constable  succeeded  in  effecting  the  arrest  of  Brown, 
and  served  the  subpenas  upon  the  necessary  witnesses; 
and,  as  the  above  hour  approached,  the  vicinity  of  the 
magistrate's  office  was  thronged  by  a  mixed  gathering  of 
men,  boys,  a  few  Indians  and  a  few  squaws. 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  73 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  there  were  more  or*  less 
of  the  original  Indian  population  scattered  over  the  whole 
of  Minnesota,  though  some  bands  had  drawn  back  to  the 
extreme  western  and  unsettled  parts.  This  was  the  case 
with  that  branch  of  the  great  Sioux  nation  to  which  Grey 
Eagle  belonged.  The  whites,  therefore,  were  the  more 
disposed  to  avoid  difficulties  with  the  Indians  that  might 
lead  to  serious  results.  And  so,  on  the  occasion  of  this 
trial,  although  with  many  the  prejudices  against  the  Indi 
ans  were  strong,  yet  Grey  Eagle  had,  through  the  official 
action  of  Sydenham  and  the  support  of  the  raftsmen, 
almost  an  even  chance  for  that  public  sympathy  which  so 
often  influenc<is  the  course  of  justice.  Sydenham  had 
engaged  a  lawyer  (at  his  own  expense)  with  whom  he 
was  acquainted,  to  prosecute  Brown,  who  had  also  found 
a  lawyer  to  defend  him.  To  give  all  the  details  of  the 
trial,  the  arguments  of  the  lawyers,  the  evidence  of  the 
witnesses,  etc.,  etc.,  would  occupy  more  space  than  we 
care  to  devote  to  that  use.  Briefly  then :  the  jury  was 
impaneled,  and  the  witnesses  examined,  re-examined  and 
cross-questioned,  according  to  the  most  approved  usage  in 
such  cases,  the  jury  of  course  cudgeling  their  brains, 
as  usual,  to  sift  the  few  facts  from  the  vast  amount  of 
verbiage. 

Bill  Smith,  of  course,  was  the  principal  witness,  and 
upon  his  testimony,  undoubtedly,  the  case  hinged.  And 
right  fortunate  was  it  that  he  had  been  forewarned  by 
Sydenham,  and  a  promise  exacted  from  him,  to  hold  no 
conversation  with  Brown  upon  the  subject,  and  to  avoid 
whisky.  That  worthy  had  tried  to  prepare  the  mind  of 
Smith  to  testify  that  he  struck  the  Indian  in  self-defence; 
but  Smith  invariably  began  a  long  hunting  yarn,  and  left 
no  chance.  Brown  finally  hinted  at  a  handsome  present 


74  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

of  money,  but  Smith  only  continued  on  another  branch 
of  his  hunting  adventures.  He  tried  whisky,  thinking  to 
thus  deaden  his  sensibilities;  but  Bill  remembered  his 
promise  to  Sydenham — the  man  who  had  saved  his  life — 
and  excused  himself  on  the  ground  of  a  headache.  And 
so  it  came  to  pass  that  when  he  was  put  upon  the  witness 
stand,  he  complied  fully  with  his  oath,  and  told  the  truth 
without  bent  or  bias,  and  all  the  examination  and  cross- 
questioning  of  the  defence  only  made  it  clearer.  Brown 
was  allowed  to  tell  his  own  story ;  but  when  the  whole 
testimony  of  all  the  witnesses  was  concluded,  it  only 
made  his  case  the  worse.  The  little  dog  was  brought 
into  court  by  a  ragged  Indian,  who  pointed  to  Brown's 
huge  boots  and  burly  form,  and  then  to  the  little  beast, 
with  a  grimace  that  greatly  amused  the  crowd,  and 
annoyed  Brown  and  his  lawyer.  Finally  the  case  was 
given  to  the  jury,  and,  after  a  short  absence,  they  brought 
in  a  verdict  of  Guilty,  and  Brown  was  sentenced  to  pay 
a  fine  of  fifty  dollars  and  costs. 

This  verdict  gave  great  satisfaction  to  a  majority  of  the 
assemblage,  and,  paltry  as  was  the  punishment,  Sydenham 
had  expected  no  more. 

The  charge  had  been  made  of  unprovoked  assault  and 
battery.  This,  the  lawyer  had  advised  him,  would  be 
pretty  sure  to  be  sustained;  whereas,  as  Grey  Eagle's  out 
ward  physical  injuries  were  slight,  graver  charges  might 
not  be,  and  he  might  be  acquitted.  The  deep,  deadly 
and  murderous  wounds  to  the  high  spirit  of  the  old  chief, 
the  law  provided  no  remedy  for. 

The  news  of  the  trial  had  spread,  and  quite  a  number 
of  Indians  had  assembled,  and  were  intermingled  with 
the  whites  in  the  crowd  in  and  about  the  little  court-room. 
The  tall  forms  of  these  Sioux  (for  the  men  would  aver- 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 


75 


age  very  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  they  were  pow 
erfully  built)  were  quite  conspicuous  in  the  crowd. 
There  were  also  some  squaws :  these  were  jubilant  when 
the  result  of  the  trial  was  made  known.  The  men  were 
stoical  and  grave,  as  usual,  but  their  eyes  expressed  satis 
faction.  They  were  soon  shaking  hands  with  the  whites. 
One  old  chief  approached  the  magistrate  with  grave 
courtesy  and  dignity,  and  shook  hands  with  him.  He 
then  went  through  the  same  ceremony  with  the  prose 
cuting  attorney,  jurors  and  witnesses,  and  all  this  with 
out  speaking  a  word.  When  he  came  to  Bill  Smith,  he 
said,  "  You  hate  Indians,  but  you  tell  truth  this  time." 
This  provoked  a  smile  from  many  who  knew  the  hunter, 
and  that  to  testify  truly  for  an  Indian  against  a  white  man 
must  have  cost  him  a  great  effort.  Unusual  good^will 
seemed  to  exist  between  the  two  dissimilar  races.  Upon 
the  whole,  it  was  a  pleasant  scene;  justice  had  been 
appeased,  and  peace  followed  in  her  train. 

The  trial  ended,  Sydenham  did  not  wait  for  the  friendly 
greetings  of  the  Indians,  but  gathered  his  men,  paid  his 
lawyer,  and  started  for  the  raft.  The  day  was  almost 
spent,  and  the  sun  was  getting  low,  when  he  reached  the 
raft.  Altogether,  the  time  lost  would  have  sufficed  to 
float  his  raft  more  than  a  hundred  miles  down  the  river; 
and  he  was  anxious  to  make  a  speedy  passage.  An 
Indian  runner  had  preceded  him,  and  carried  the  news  of 
the  result.  The  Doctor  was  indignant  that  the  punish 
ment  was  so  trivial,  but  made  no  comment. 

Grey  Eagle  lay  in  a  tranquil  state  in  the  bunk,  where 
he  had  been  placed.  The  medicines  had  produced  the 
desired  effect,  and  the  fever  had  abated,  but  had  left  the 
vital  powers  at  so  low  an  ebb  that  his  recovery  was 
doubtful,  the  Doctor  thought.  As  Sydenham  approached 


76  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

the  bunk,  the  Indian  extended  his  hand  and  grasped  that 
of  the  white  man. 

"  The  Young  Elk's  heart  is  big,  and  his  hand  is  strong. 
He  is  just  and  wise.  May  he  live  long,  and  serve  the 
Great  Spirit  by  just  deeds  between  the  white  and  red 
men;  for  both  are  often  bad,  and  the  spirit  of  evil  has 
great  ppwer  over  them.  Has  the  Young  Elk  a  wife?" 

Sydenham  replied  that  he  had  not. 

"  Has  he  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters?" 

Sydenham  replied  that  he  had  not;   that  all  were  dead. 

The  old  chief  did  not  speak  for  some  minutes;  at  length 
he  said : 

"Grey  Eagle  has  lived  alone,  and  would  have  died 
alone  like  a  dog,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Young  Elk;  but 
the  young  should  mate.  Has  the  Young  Elk  no  maiden 
whom  he  loves  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Sydenham,  wonderingly,  and  yet  interested. 
"  I  have  none.  I  have  lived  much  in  the  woods  where 
there  were  none  to  be  seen." 

The  old  chief  lay  silent  for  some  time,  with  one  hand 
over  his  face,  and  the  other  clasping  Sydenham's.  At 
length  he  spoke  as  though  dreaming: 

"  I  see  the  young  white  chief  at  Grey  Eagle's  cave ; 
beside  him  is  a  young  white  woman,  beautiful  as  the  stars 
at  night.  She  has  come  out  of  a  cloud  that  was  like  lire, 
to  his  arms,  and  is  his  wife.  He  shows  her  the  inner 
cave,  and  talks  to  her  of  Grey  Eagle,  and  she  weeps. 
Dark  clouds  cover  them,  but  the  sunshine  of  love  warms 
them,  and  the  Great  Spirit  shields  them  from  evil.  Sons 
and  daughters  are  born,  and  their  house  is  built  upon  a 
rock,  and  the  red  man  is  not  forgotten." 

Grey  Eagle  uttered  these  words  in  a  dreamy  tone,  his 
voice  seeming  to  have  diminished  to  almost  a  whisper. 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  >]*] 

The  Doctor  felt  his  pulse  and  found  it  excited.  Sydenham 
withdrew,  and  motioned  to  the  men  to  avoid  all  noise  near 
the  little  cabin,  where  the  sick  man  lay. 

It  was  now  dark,  and  lights  were  placed  on  each  out 
side  corner  of  the  raft.  The  boat  from  St.  Paul  was  now 
hourly  expected,  with  the  missionary  on  board.  A  few 
Indians  had  come  up  to  see  the  old  chief;  and  these  built 
a  fire  on  shore,  and  occupied  the  lodge  that  had  been  set 
up  there.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the 
expected  steamer  arrived,  and  opposite  the  raft,  stopped 
her  engines,  and  the  captain  hafled  the  raft,  enquiring 
whether  that  was  the  place  where  Father  Martel  was 
expected.  Upon  receiving  the  answer  that  it  was,  the 
yawl  was  lowered,  manned  by  two  men,  a  'passenger 
entered,  and  the  yawl  was  sculled  rapidly  to  the  raft. 

Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  received  the  good  missionary. 
He  was  an  old  man  of  a  mild  and  benevolent  countenance, 
but  one  that  indicated  energy  and  mental  activity.  His 
manner  was  very  grave,  yet  kindly  After  some  little  con 
versation  in  regard  to  Grey  Eagle's  condition,  etc.,  Syd 
enham  led  the  way  to  his  bedside.  The  Indian  had  heard 
the  steamer,  the  voice  of  the  captain,  and  the  approach  of 
the  yawl;  and  when  Father  Martel  approached  his  bed 
side,  he  expressed  his  gratitude  in  a  voice  husky  with 
emotion.  The  raftsmen  and  the  Indians  from  the  shore 
gathered  around,  while  by  the  light  of  the  torch  the  sol 
emn  service  of  the  Catholic  church  was  performed. 
After  it  was  over,  the  chief  signified  his  wish  to  be  alone, 
and  all  save  the  missionary  withdrew ;  and  we  must  now 
return  to  some  of  the  other  personages  of  our  story. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FTER  the  trial  was  over,  we  have  said  the  result 
was  very  satisfactory  to  the  assembled  crowd.  We 
should,  however,  qualify  this  by  saying  a  majority 
of  the  assembled  crowd.  It  was  in  this  something  like  the 
result  of  an  election,  highly  satisfactory  to  the  successful 
candidates  and  dominant  party,  but  a  matter  disagreeable 
and  even  disgusting  to  the  defeated  candidates  and  the 
minority  party. 

Brown  was  gloomy  and  taciturn.  Had  he  been  sen 
tenced  to  solitary  confinement  for  a  time,  he  would  have 
had  abundant  opportunity  for  reflection,  and  conscience 
and  self-crimination  would  have  had  a  healthy  effect  upon 
him,  and  he  would  have  come  out  a  better  man,  or  at  least 
a  less  troublesome  and  vicious  man.  As  it  was,  he  was 
mulcted  in  a  sum  for  fine  and  costs  that  he  did  not  greatly 
feel, — only  that  money,  being  a  tiling  he  sincerely  loved, 
the  loss  of  it  caused  some  considerable  grief. 

Bill  Smith  he  now  hated  bitterly,  and  dismissed  at  once 
from  his  service,  and  engaged  a  village  idler  who  professed 
warm  sympathy  for  him  and  hatred  of  "  white  Indians/' 
to  carry  chain  in  his  place. 

After  the  departure  of  the  raftsmen  and  Indians,  the 
"majority"  seemed  to  be  on  the  side  of  Brown;  and  the 
surveyor,  who  had  very  little  to  testify  to  as  a  witness,  but 
been  quietly  scenting  for  the  true  course  that  "public 
opinion  "  would  take,  now  found  voice  and  tongue,  and, 
curiously  enough,  u  popped  up"  right  alongside  of  Brown. 
There  is  a  species  of  small,  wild  ducks,  known  to 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  79 

sportsmen  as  "  Dippers,"  who,  before  percussion  caps 
came  into  use,  would,  it  is  said,  dive  at  the  flash  of  the 
gun,  and  after  remaining  under  water  a  considerable  time, 
would  come  up  in  a  place  where  they  were  least  expected. 
Farley  had  found  it  necessary  to  dive  for  a  time,  but  had 
now  popped  up  alongside  of  Brown,  at  the  little  village 
tavern,  where  a  thirsty  crowd  had  gathered  expecting  that 
somebody  would  treat. 

Sydenham  had  gone  off  and  left  this  great  duty  unper 
formed.  In  this  he  had  not  shown  good  Generalship — 
left  his  rear  open  to  attack. 

Brown  walked  doggedly  into  the  bar-room  and  began 
grumbling  and  scolding  abont  the  result.  The  jurymen 
did  not  happen  to  be  about.  He  soon  found  two  or  three 
supporters,  and  the  case  was  argued  over,  and  very  natur 
ally,  in  this  informal  appeal,  but  one  side  was  argued. 
As  the  case  was  now  viewed,  Brown  was  on  his  own 
land,  and  had  some  provocation  from  the  dog;  and  when 
he  struck  the  old  man  he  said  he  did  not  mean  to  hurt 
him,  and  it  was  contended  that  he  was  not  hurt,  and  that 
his  present  sickness  might  not  have  anything  to  do  with 
it.  Indeed  it  was  said  that  he  was  often  sick  and  unable 
to  leave  his  lodge.  At  this  stage  Brown  called  for  the 
drinks  for  all  hands,  and  nearly  all  drank.  After  this 
the  general  verdict  was,  that  after  all,  Brown  was  not  a 
bad  fellow,  and  that  upon  the  whole,  he  was  rather  an 
aggrieved  and  injured  man.  Some  even  said  he  had  only 
served  the  Indian  right;  but  Grey  Eagle  was  so  well 
known  and  liked  that  this  atrocious  sentiment  found  but 
little  favor. 

Brown  was  in  great  haste  to  finish  his  survey,  and  start 
for  home,  and  soon  called  for  his  team,  and,  accompanied 
by  the  surveyor  and  the  new  chain- bearer,  started  up  the 


So  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

river, — not,  however,  till  he  had  privately  counseled  with 
the  landlord  as  to  whether  he  would  be  in  danger  from  the 
Indians.  He  was  assured  that  he  need  have  no  apprehen 
sions;  that  the  Indians  had  attended  the  trial,  had  been 
satisfied  with  the  result,  and  that  the  chief  and  others  had 
shaken  hands,  and  had  pledged  their  word  to  the  Justice 
that  Brown  should  not  be  hurt. 

"•Now,"  said  the  landlord,  "you  are  safe,  perfectly  so, 
from  these  Indians,  and  so  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
trial ;  for,  had  it  not  been  for  that,  your  life  would  not  have 
been  safe." 

He  was  an  old  Indian  trader,  and  his  word  was  consid 
ered  the  best  authority  in  the  neighborhood ;  and,  although 
he  kept  the  house  where  this  one-sided  discussion  had  been 
held,  he  had  not  expressed  one  word  of  sympathy  for 
Brown.  On  the  contrary,  he  thought  his  punishment 
wholly  inadequate. 

Brown  drove  rapidly  out  of  town  and  up  the  river. 
Arrived  at  his  land,  the  work  of  surveying  was  entered 
upon  at  once.  As  this  work  progressed,  he  felt  considerable 
dissatisfaction,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not  gone  out  on 
the  smooth  prairies,  back  from  the  river,  where,  the  sur 
veyor  told  him,  there  was  still  some  good  land  not  yet 
"  entered ;"  good  soil,  free  from  rocks,  stumps  and  bluffs. 
Here,  a  large  share  of  his  land  would  be  the  steep  bind 
sides,  useless  for  cultivation,  while  the  remainder  was 
mostly  covered  with  a  forest,  the  timber  of  which,  although 
of  some  value  in  itself,  would  be  greatly  in  the  way  in 
getting  the  land  under  cultivation,  and  involve  a  heavy 
expense  for  clearing.  It  was  even  worse  than  he  had  ex 
pected,  from  what  he  had  seen,  the  day  of  his  arrival. 

This,  and  the  result  of  the  trial,  the  fine,  etc.,  made  the 
man  very  gloomy  and  ill-natured. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

left  Grey  Eagle  alone  with  Father  Martel. 
To  him  he  confided  the  disposition  of  his  little 
property,  which  he  knew  had  been  rescued  by 
Sydenham  from  the  clutches  of  Brown  and  his  party. 
His  rifle  and  hunting  equipments  he  wished  to  give  Syd 
enham;  his  lodge  of  skins  to  the  good  Father  himself,  to 
use  in  any  way  he  thought  lit.  The  skins  that  constituted 
his  bedding,  etc.,  he  gave,  part  to  the  Doctor;  and  the 
remainder  he  wished  divided  among  the  men.  Various 
other  small  articles  he  wished  divided  among  such  of  the 
Indians  as  came  to  his  burial :  for,  although  the  Doctor 
had  not  despaired  of  his  recovery,  yet  the  old  warrior  felt 
that  he  was  dying.  After  the  allotment  of  these  presents, 
Grey  Eagle  paused  for  some  moments;  he  then  spoke: 

"  Good  Father,  you  white  men  say  that  old  men  become 
childish.  Perhaps  Grey  Eagle  is  so  now,  for  he  longs  to 
have  his  body  buried  near  the  little  waterfall,  at  the  head 
of  the  little  valley  in  which  his  lodge  stood;  for  there  lie 
many  of  his  blood.  Promise  me,  good  Father,  that  this 
shall  be  so." 

"  I  promise  you  that  it  shall  be  as  you  wish,"  said 
Father  Martel. 

The  chief  then  expressed  his  readiness  to  die,  and  his 
joy  and  gratitude  to  God  for  the  promise  of  everlasting 
life  in  a  future  world,  and  for  death  among  friends.  He 
then  desired  the  presence  of  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor, 
both  of  whom  entered  the  cabin  and  took  seats  by  his  side. 


82  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

The  Doctoi  soon  saw  that  a  change  was  taking  place,  and 
that  death  was  near.  The  chief  grasped  their  hands  and 
attempted  to  speak,  but  could  not.  At  the  invitation  of 
the  missionary,  those  of  the  men  who  were  up  entered  the 
cabin  and  gathered  around  the  bunk.  The  dying  man 
gave  each  a  look  of  recognition,  but  did  not  move  or 
speak.  A  few  minutes  more  passed  in  silence,  and  the 
Doctor  placed  his  hand  upon  his  pulse.  It  had  ceased  to 
beat.  The  soul  of  Grey  Eagle  had  passed  away. 

The  morning  came,  and  preparations  were  made  for 
the  burial.  The  Indians  on  the  shore  sent  a  runner  to 
others,  and  soon  quite  a  number  had  assembled,  and  their 
plaintive  wailing  was  heard  during  the  entire  forenoon. 

Meantime,  Sydenham,  accompanied  by  the  missionary, 
with  two  of  his  men  bearing  shovels,  had  gone  to  dig  the 
grave.  They  both  had  misgivings  that  if  the  spot  indicated 
by  Grey  Eagle  should  chance  to  be  on  the  land  entered  by 
Brown,  that  that  noble  lord  of  the  soil  might  object. 
Yet,  both  had  almost  felt  ashamed  that  they  had  harbored 
a  suspicion  of  this  kind.  Neither  of  these  men  had 
learned  that  a  thoroughly  evil  heart  is  a  spring  from 
which  evil  issues  continually.  The  fall  was  soon  reached, 
and,  in  a  sheltered  nook  of  the  little  valley,  enclosed  on 
the  side  next  the  bluff"  by  a  semi-circular  wall  of  almost 
perpendicular  rocks,  and  close  to  the  waterfall,  but  on  dry 
and  suitable  ground,  they  found  the  indications  of  a  num 
ber  of  Indian  graves.  Father  Martel  selected  a  spot  near 
the  middle  of  the  burying  place,  and  shaded  by  a  large 
elm  tree.  The  men  marked  out  a  grave  and  began  dig 
ging.  After  a  time,  Sydenham  and  the  missionary  took 
the  shovels  and  worked  while  the  others  rested.  In  this 
way  they  relieved  each  other,  and,  in  a  little  while,  the 
grave  was  finished.  As  they  were  about  leaving,  to  meet 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  83 

the  funeral  cortege,  they  saw  a  party  coming  down  the 
.  hill,  just  above  the  cascade.  It  was  Brown  and  the  sur 
veying  party,  they  ran  the  line,  and  it  passed  a  few  rods 
above  the  fall;  so  Brown  owned  all  the  valley,  including 
the  cascade  and  the  Indian  burial-place.  The  surveying 
party  did  not  see  the  grave-diggers  until  they  had  crossed 
the  ravine  and  began  ascending  the  hill.  The  chain- 
bearer  then  saw  them,  and  called  to  Brown : 

"  There's  a  lot  of  them  fellers  down  in  the  holler  dig 
ging." 

Brown  stopped  and  looked;  and  it  flashed  upon  him 
that  Grey  Eagle  was  dead,  and  they  were  digging  his  grave. 
For  a  moment  a  twinge  of  remorse  shot  through  his  small, 
tough,  hard  conscience.  This  element,  however,  did  not 
predominate  in  his  character;  and  its  momentary  ascend 
ancy  was  soon  lost.  The  next  emotion  was  fear.  He  felt 
fearful  of  another  arrest,  and  of  more  serious  consequences, 
and  reflected  upon  it  for  some  minutes.  Finally,  he  con 
cluded  in  his  own  mind  that  they  couldn't  make  anything 
on  the  ground  of  causing  the  Indian's  death,  as  he  had  got 
up  and  walked  away,  and  they  had  reported  him  sick  with 
fever.  Besides,  by  law,  a  man  could  not  be  tried  twice  for 
the  same  offense.  He  sent  Holmes,  the  chain-bearer,  to  see 
"what  was  up."  On  his  return  with  the  news  of  the  In 
dian's  death,  as  no  mention  was  made  of  him,  he  felt  bolder 

"  D n  them !"  he  said ;  "  they  have  no  business  mak 
ing  a  graveyard  of  my  land ;  and  I  have  a  mind  to  warn 
them  off." 

"  I  would,"  said  Holmes. 

The  surveyor  now  came  up ;  and  Brown  appealed  to  him. 

"  You  have  a  right  to  prohibit  their  burying  on  your 
land,  when  you  can  clearly  show  that  it  is  yours,"  said  that 
cautious  individual. 


84  THE    HEART   OF    THE    WEST. 

"  Well,"  said  Brown,  "  can't  you  testify  that  it  is  on  my 
land?" 

"  It  certainly  is  on  the  land  as  numbered  in  your  certifi 
cate." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Brown,  "  I  can  prove  by  you  that  it 
is  my  land." 

Accordingly  the  trio  started  for  the  grave,  where  Syden- 
ham  and  his  party  were  awaiting  the  approach  of  the 
funeral  cortege,  which  was  to  start  from  the  raft  under  the 
direction  of  the  Doctor. 

"  Did  you  know  that  this  hole  you  have  dug  was  on  my 
land  ?  "  said  Brown,  addressing  Sydenham. 

"No;  I  did  not,"  said  Sydenham. 

"  Well,  it  is,"  said  Brown,  "  as  Mr.  Farley,  here,  the 
surveyor,  can  tell  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Farley,  "the  line  runs  about  where  that  oak 
tree  stands," — pointing,  at  the  same  time,  to  a  tree,  about 
fifty  yards  above  the  falls. 

Just  then  the  funeral  procession  appeared  in  sight, at  the 
distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards.  The  corpse  was 
enclosed  in  a  rude  coffin,  made  by  the  men  of  boards  from 
the  raft,  and  was  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  four  stalwart 
Sioux  Indians.  Behind  it  walked  the  Doctor,  with  most 
of  the  men  from  the  raft,  a  number  of  Indian  men,  a  few 
squaws  and  some  children.  The  procession  was  grave 
and  orderly,  the  only  sound  heard  being  the  lamentations 
of  the  squaws.  Arrived  at  the  grave,  the  rude  bier  was 
placed  upon  the  ground ;  and  both  Indians  and  white  men 
gazed  with  wonder  and  indignation  upon  Brown. 

"  Well,"  said  Sydenham,  who  had  been  musing  for  some 
minutes,  "  suppose  the  land  is  yours;  what  of  it?" 

"  Why,"  said  Brown,  doggedly,  "  I  do  n't  want  it  used 
for  a  graveyard ;  that  is  all," 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  85 

A  fierce,  angry  rhurmur  ran  through  the  assembled 
crowd,  from  both  white  men  and  Indians :  a  word  or  sign 
from  Sydenham,  and  terrible  vengeance  would  have  been 
wreaked  upon  the  spot. 

"  Men,"  said  Sydenham,  turning  to  the  crowd,  awe  have 
come  here  to  bury  the  dead.  We  must  have  no  violence 
or  angry  quarrel  with  this  man." 

Motioning,  then,  to  the  Doctor,  the  missionary  and  one 
or  two  chiefs,  he  led  them  to  one  side  to  discuss  what 
should  be  done. 

Among  the  Indians  there  was  a  wild,  hare-brained  and 
supposed  to  be  half-idiotic  fellow,  named  by  the  whites 
"Joe,"  and  looked  upon  by  his  own  tribe  as  but  half 
witted.  Joe  had  watched  all  the  proceedings  with  intense 
interest,  his  eyes  almost  starting  from  their  sockets.  Joe, 
when  he  saw  the  consultation  going  on  at  a  little  distance, 
left  the  crowd  and  approached  Sydenham,  in  a  high  state 
of  excitement,  and  thus  addressed  him : 

u  Don't  bury  Grey  Eagle  on  that  bad  white  man's  land, 
or  he  will  dig  him  up  and  give  his  body  to  the  wolves  and 
steal  his  blanket.  I  know  it,"  said  Joe,  "  for  I  saw  white 
men,  away  down  the  river,  throw  dead  Indian  out  of  tree 
and  steal  blanket  and  bear-skins.  Do  n't  do  it,"  said  Joe ; 
"  bury  him  somewhere  else  where  they  can't  find  him." 

The  poor  fellow  gesticulated  wildly,  and  seemed  greatly 
excited.  He  was  told  they  would  bury  Grey  Eagle  safely, 
and  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed.  The  chiefs  then 
directed  him  to  go  back. 

After  some  consultation  it  was  determined  to  make  an 
effort  to  purchase  the  ground  necessary  for  a  grave,  if 
possible,  but  in  no  case  to  have  any  further  difficulty  with 
Brown,  but  to  get  away  from  his  revolting  presence  as 
soon  as  possible. 


86  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

Accordingly  the  party  returned  to  the  grave;  and  Rev. 
Father  Martel  spoke,  addressing  Brown : 

"  This  man,  whose  remains  we  come  here  to  bury,  not 
knowing  that  this  was  your  land,  or  that  you  would  object, 
if  it  was  requested  me  to  see  that  he  was  buried  on  this  spot. 
It  was  his  dying  wish,  and  I  promised  on  his  dying  bed 
that  it  should  be  done ;  now  we  are  here,  and  his  grave  is 
dug;  we  ask  if  you  will  not  sell  us  ground  enough  on 
which  to  bury  him." 

Brown  now  spoke  to  the  surveyor,  and  the  two  walked 
to  one  side.  While  they  were  gone,  poor  Joe,  wild  with 
excitement,  mounted  upon  a  fragment  of  rock  and  har 
angued  the  crowd : 

"Don't,  I  tell  you,  bury  Grey  Eagle  on  bad  man's 
land.  He  will  dig  him  up ;  wolves  will  eat  him ;  evil  spirits 
will  take  away  his  bones,  and  Grey  Eagle  will  never  enter 
the  happy  hunting  ground.'*  Here,  throwing  his  arms 
wildly  up,  he  went  on :  " Joe  lay  in  bushes  away  down 
big  river,  and  saw  white  men  throw  dead  Indian  down 
out  of  big  tree,  and  take  away  rifle,  powder,  tomahawk, 
bear-skins  and  blanket,  leaving  Indian  body  naked  and 
broken  on  the  ground." 

At  this  a  wild  wail  rose  from  the  squaws,  and  the  war 
riors  knit  their  brows,  and  their  eyes  blazed  with  a  frenzy 
of  rage;  but,  controlled  by  the  missionary  and  Sydenham, 
they  stood  silent  and  motionless. 

Brown  came  back  and  said  to  Sydenham :  "  I  won't  sell 
a  small  piece  of  the  land,  or  have  it  used;  but  I  will  sell 
it  all  to  you;  and  you  can  do  what  you  please  with  it." 

Here  there  was  a  pause ;  finally  the  missionary  called 
Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  to  one  side,  and  urged  them  to 
buy  it,  if  Brown  would  sell  it  for  a  fair  price ;  if  not,  he 
saw  no  other  alternative  but  to  go  elsewhere  for  a  grave 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  87 

After  a  few  words  of  consultation,  the  friends  concluded 
that  the  first  thing  would  be  to  enquire  the  price. 

Brown,  when  interrogated  upon  this  point,  said  if  they 
would  pay  him  back  the  price  he  paid  at  the  land  office, 
(one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre),  and  give  him  one 
hundred  dollars,  they  should  have  the  land.  This  would 
make  in  all  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  half-section. 

Again  the  friends  consulted.  Neither  of  them  had 
cared  to  buy  land  in  that  locality,  nor  had  either  money 
enough  with  him  for  that  purpose.  The  Doctor  thought 
he  could  not  command  any  means,  short  of  St.  Louis, 
unless  by  chance  he  could  borrow  from  some  friend  in  St. 
Paul.  Sydenham  had  no  more  money  with  him  than 
would  suffice  for  his  use,  but  had  enough  in  the  bank  at 
St.  Paul  to  pay  for  the  land.  Finally  it  was  agreed  that 
Sydenham  should  buy  and  retain  the  land,  using-  therefor 
the  ready  money  that  both  had  with  them,  and  should 
send  to  St.  Paul  for  his  money  to  be  forwarded  at  once  to 
Wenona,  or  some  point  below. 

Sydenham  then  signified  his  acceptance  of  Brown's 
proposition,  on  condition  that  Farley  should  finish  the 
survey,  and  establish  the  lines  and  corners,  at  Brown's 
expense,  and  then  come  at  once  down  to  the  neighboring 
town  and  execute  the  necessary  papers,  to  be  prepared  by 
Sydenham's  lawyer,  and  receive  the  money.  Brown 
placed  his  certificate  of  entry  in  Farley's  hands,  and 
Sydenhan  deposited  with  the  same  party,  twenty-five 
dollars;  the  white  men  present  being  called  upon  to  wit 
ness  the  agreement..  The  whole  matter  was  explained  to 
the  Indians ;  but  they  were  not  satisfied.  They  thoroughly 
distrusted  Brown,  and  feared  treachery  unless  the  writing 
on  paper  was  done  at  once.  Finally  the  chief  signified 
to  Brown  to  leave  the  money  and  paper  in  the  missionary's 


88  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

hands,  which  he  consented  to  do,  greatly  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  the  Indians,  and  of  some  of  the  whites  who  had 
no  confidence  in  the  surveyor.  Brown  consented  to  the 
change  quite  gracefully.  His  feelings  had  at  length 
reacted;  he  had,  as  he  thought,  made  a  good  trade,  and 
he  felt  (for  him)  quite  genial  and  kind.  The  presence  of 
the  dead  body  of  the  man  whose  days  he  had  shortened  by 
violence  had  but  little  effect. 

To  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor,  Brown's  presence  was 
intolerable;  and  it  was  stipulated  that  not  a  moment's 
time  should  be  lost  in  completing  the  survey;  that  the 
surveying  party  should  proceed  with  the  work  at  once. 
To  this  no  objection  was  made;  and  Sydenham  and  his 
friends  felt  a  sense  of  relief  as  though  rid  of  a  nightmare 
of  evil,  when  the  burly  form  of  Brown  and  his  party 
disappeared  in  the  bushes. 

The  priest  now  proceeded  with  the  funeral  ceremonies, 
according  to  the  forms  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
White  men  and  Indians  listened  reverently,  with  bowed 
and  uncovered  heads.  The  ,body  was  lowered  into  the 
grave,  and  it  was  rilled  up  and  a  mound  raised  over  it, 
after  the  manner  of  white  men.  The  Indians  then  brought 
large  stones,  as  large  as  they  could  carry,  from  the  foot  of 
the  cascade,  and  covered  this  mound  completely.  The 
raftsmen  brought  also  a  large  slab,  and  set  upright  at  the 
head  of  the  grave,  and  a  smaller  one  at  the  foot.  Powder 
was  then  sprinkled  upon  the  grave,  among  the  stones, 
and  on  the  ground  near;  both  white  men  and  Indians 
believing  this  would  keep  wolves  and  other  wild  animals 
away. 

When  all  was  done,  the  Indian  men,  followed  by  the 
squaws  and  children,  formed  a  procession  and  marched 
slowly  around  the  grave  singing  a  wild  dirge  in  the  Sioux 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  89 

language.  This  lasted  some  time.  When  it  was  over 
Father  Martel  dismissed  the  assemblage  with  a  benedic 
tion.  And  so  the  body  of  the  Indian,  Grey  Eagle,  found 
decent  burial  at  the  hands  of  men  who  recognized  the 
rights  of  humanity  and  its  obligations  and  duties.  Not  a 
man,  white  or  red,  left  the  ground  but  was  morally  and 
spiritually  bettered  by  this  triumph  of  humanity,  and 
human  sympathy,  over  baseness  and  brutality.  The  very 
stars  shed  a  sweeter  light  into  the  little  dell  that  night  than 
if  Brown  had  had  his  unopposed  will  and  way.  The  raft 
had  been  delayed  three  days ;  but  a  great  wrong  had  been 
righted  as  far  as  it  could  be,  and  a  greater  one  prevented. 
The  old  chief  had  been  assaulted  in  his  own  home ;  but  he 
had  not  been  allowed  to  perish  miserably  and  unaided. 
He  had  been  most  kindly  cared  for  in  his  sickness,  and 
the  services  of  religion  and  of  friendship  had  surrounded 
his  death-bed,  and  an  honored  Christian  burial  had  been 
given  him,  and  his  grave  was  safe  on  the  spot  where  he 
had  so  long  wished  it  should  be.  Moreover,  a  collision 
between  the  whites  and  Indians,  with  all  its  horrors,  had 
been  prevented,  and,  in  spite  of  the  death  of  Grey  Eagle, 
and  the  baseness  of  Brown,  more  confidence  and  friendly 
feeling  than  previously  existed  had  been  established. 

Such  were  the  reflections  of  Sydenham,  as  he  walked 
through  the  woods  toward  the  raft,  whither  most  of  the 
party  had  preceded  him.  The  great  loss  of  time,  and 
consequent  expense,  was,  to  him,  a  serious  matter;  but  he 
felt  that  he  had  done  his  duty,  and  was  well  repaid.  As 
to  the  land,  he  knew  that  he  could  enter  plenty  that  was 
more  valuable  at  the  government  price,  yet  the  wild, 
romantic  scenery  of  the  place  pleased  him.  Then  he 
thought  of  the  cave;  and  the  words  of  the  dying  chief 
shot  like  lightning  through  his  mind :  "  I  see  the  young 


9o 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 


white  chief  at  Grey  Eagle's  cave ;  beside  him  is  a  young 
white  woman  beautiful  as  the  stars.  She  has  come  out  of 
a  cloud  that  was  like  fire,  to  his  arms,  and  is  his  wife. 
He  paused  and  sat  down  upon  a  log.  At  the  time,  he 
had  taken  but  little  notice  of  the  words  of  the  sick  man 
in  his  delirium ;  but  now  every  fibre  of  his  frame  thrilled 
with  emotion,  and  his  mind  embraced  it  at  once,  as  the 
electic  current  passes  over  the  conducting  wires. 

"There  are  moments,  I  think,  when  the  spirit  receives 
Whole  volumes  of  thought  on  its  unwritten  leaves." 

He  was  a  man  of  ardent,  impulsive  nature,  and  of  deep 
and  powerful  feelings.  He  was  of  that  temperament 
"  over  which,"  Bancroft  says,  "  beauty  possesses  a  won 
derful  and  mysterious  power."  Though  he  had  often  felt 
this  power,  and,  indeed,  never  failed  to  feel  it  when 
brought  within  the  circle  of  its  attraction,  yet  the  woman 
who  should  be 

"  The  ocean,  to  the  river  of  his  thoughts," 
he  had  never  met ;  yet  he  believed 

"  If  thou  art  to  have  a  wife  of  thy  youth, 
She  is  now  living  on  the  earth." 

What  wonder,  then,  at  his  emotion.  Any  bachelor 
who  would  not  sometimes  be  moved  by  such  thoughts 
must  have  been  born  under  the  influence  of  some  of  the 
outside  planets. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RRIVED  at  the  river  side,  Father  Martel  distributed 
Grey  Eagle's  little  property  as  he  had  directed,  and 
so  kindly,  justly  and  gracefully  did  he  discharge  this 
difficult  duty  that  even  those  who  received  very  little  or 
nothing  manifested  no  dissatisfaction.  The  good  Father 
left  the  lodge-covering,  given  him,  in  care  of  an  infirm  old 
Indian,  who  he  learned  was  living  in  a  very  poor  one,  tell 
ing  him  to  use  it  as  long  as  he  wished.  Sydenham,  feeling 
that  the  present  of  the  rifle  and  hunting  accoutrements 
seemed  a  considerable  share  of  the  whole,  and  knowing 
how  great  a  luxury  wheaten  flour  is  to  Indians,  distributed 
a  considerable  quantity  among  them,  to  their  great  satis 
faction.  He  also  gave  the  squaws  and  children  a  present 
of  some  sugar,  to  their  great  delight.  A  few  urgent 
appeals  for  tobacco  were  also  supplied. 

Father  Martel  was  going  down  on  the  raft  as  far  as  the 
little  town;  but  before  it  shoved  off  he  called  all  the 
Indians  together  and  gave  them  some  good  advice,  after 
which  he  read  a  short  prayer  and  gave  them  his  benedic 
tion.  The  Indians  then  shook  hands  with  all  the  rafts 
men,  and  manifested  their  good-will  in  their  own  peculiar 
way,  toward  all,  but  toward  Sydenham  in  particular. 

Bill  Smith,  whose  views  had  been  entirely  changed, 
through  the  explanations  of  Sydenham  and  Father  Martel, 
of  all  that  had  seemed  to  him  mysterious  and  supernatural 
in  Grey  Eagle's  character  and  mode  of  life,  and  who  had 


0,2  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

not  been  forgotten  in  the  distribution  of  presents,  was 
now  in  a  condition  of  perfect  friendship  with  the  Indians, 
and  avowed  that  he  had  "  learned  a  heap  in  the  last  four 
days." 

Before  the  raft  finally  shoved  off,  the  surveying  party 
(who  had  finished  their  work)  came  by  in  their  wagon, 
on  their  way  to  town,  and  Brown  called  out  that  he  would 
meet  Sydenham  at  the  tavern.  It  was  now  almost  dark, 
and  the  Indians  who  would  camp  there  that  night  had 
lighted  their  fires. 

Bill  Smith  expressed  a  wish  to  go  back  to  the  town, 
''and  see  the  thing  entirely  through,"  and  accordingly 
stayed  on  the  raft.  The  lines  were  now  cast  off,  the  poles 
were  brought  into  requisition,  and  the  raft  slowly  drifted 
out  from  shore.  The  Indians  stood  ranged  along  the 
shore  in  the  firelight,  and  gave  a  parting  salute  as  they 
receded  from  view. 

An  hour  and  a  half  brought  the  raft  to  the  little  town. 
With  some  trouble,  a  landing  was  effected,  and  Sydenham, 
the  Doctor  and  the  missionary,  with  Smith  and  one  or 
two  of  the  men,  went  at  once  to  the  lawyer's  office. 
Here  they  found  Brown  awaiting  them,  as  also  the  sur 
veyor,  who  reported  his  work  completed  in  proper  form, 
and  gave  Sydenham  a  memorandum  of  survey,  bounda 
ries  and  corners.  But  in  the  conveyance  of  the  property 
by  deed,  from  Brown  to  Sydenham,  a  difficulty  presented 
itself,  on  account  of  the  absence  of  Brown's  wife;  she 
being  in  Wisconsin.  Sydenham  was  determined  not  to 
allow  the  slightest  chance  for  future  trouble  with  Brown, 
on  account  of  any  willfulness,  perversity,  or  dishonesty,  in 
that  individual,  and  finally  his  lawyer,  Mr.  Bently,  sug 
gested  a  plan  that  was  agreed  to  and  adopted.  By  this, 
Brown  executed  a  full  warranty  deed,  and  also  a  special 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 


93 


bond,  that  he  would  have  his  wife  execute  and  send 
within  one  month,  her  quit-claim  deed ;  Sydenham  paying 
him  three  hundred  dollars  down,  and  leaving  two  hundred 
with  Mr.  Bently,  to  be  paid  on  receipt  of  the  quit-claim 
deed  executed  by  Brown's  wife.  The  deed,  bond  and 
certificate  of  entry  were  delivered  to  Sydenham,  and  Mr. 
Bently  also  gave  him  a  receipt  for  the  two  hundred  dol 
lars  left  in  his  hands,  stating  the  use  to  which  it  was  to  be 
applied,  a  duplicate  of  which  was  given  to  Brown.  Sy 
denham  then  left  the  deed  (together  with  recording  fees 
for  both  deeds),  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Bently,  to  have  placed 
upon  the  public  records  at  the  county  seat  The  business 
concluded,  the  party  from  the  raft  bade  Father  Martel 
good-bye  (he  intending  to  wait  for  the  first  boat  for  St. 
Paul),  and  started  for  the  raft,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bently. 
That  gentleman  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  whole  case, 
and  the  acquaintance  between  him  and  Sydenham,  which 
had  been  slight,  seemed  to  be  rapidly  ripening  into  warm 
friendship.  A  gentleman  and  a  man  of  honor  and  edu 
cation,  with  a  strong  sense  of  justice  and  humanity,  he 
appreciated  fully  the  whole  matter,  and  a  strong  bond  of 
sympathy,  friendship  and  esteem  was  at  once  established 
between  himself,  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor.  After 
expressing  his  warm  approval  of  the  course  pursued  by 
Sydenham,  he  told  him  the  property  he  had  been  almost 
compelled  to  buy — aside  from  its  romantic  beauty  of 
scenery  and  association  and  historical  interest,  possessed 
intrinsic  value  in  the  great  quantity  of  wood  which  could 
be  cut  upon  it,  for  which  the  steamers  navigating  the  river 
afforded  a  good  market,  and  that  after  being  partially 
cleared  in  this  way,  it  would  make  a  pretty  good  farm, 
well  adapted  to  the  rearing  of  sheep.  He  also  promised 
to  look  after  the  property,  which,  with  the  assistance 


94  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

Smith,  the  hunter,  promised,  he  could  easily  do.  Ar 
rived  at  the  raft  the  friends  bade  each  other  a  warm 
and  earnest  good-bye.  Again  the  raft  was  shoved  from 
the  shore  and  drifted  away  in  the  starlight  night. 

The  Doctor  soon  retired  to  rest;  but  Sydenham's  watch 
was  "  on"  and  he  had  now  time  to  reflect  in  silence,  in 
the  lonely  night,  upon  the  strange  events  of  the  past  few 
days.  .  ; 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

>HE  morning  was  clear  and  pleasant,  and  a  bright 
May  sun  was  shining  upon  the  raft,  when  our 
friends  were  roused  by  the  call  to  breakfast. 

Of  course  at  the  breakfast  table  the  events  of  the  few 
preceding  days  were  discussed,  and  the  raftsmen  expressed 
their  opinion  of  Brown  in  terms  more  vigorous  than  polite. 
Sydenham  felt,  however,  such  a  sense  of  relief  in  getting 
rid  of  him  and  his  evil  deeds,  that  he  almost  felt  disposed 
to  overlook  all  that  he  had  done.  The  long  delay  caused 
him  to  feel  more  impatient  of  the  slightest  delay  hence 
forward,  as  it  was  of  the  highest  importance  to  him,  in  a 
business  sense,  to  market  his  lumber  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  return  without  delay  to  St.  Paul. 

As  yet,  the  yoyage  was  not  much  more  than  well  begun ; 
and,  while  delayed  in  righting  wrongs  that  happened  to  lie 
in  his  path,  a  great  number  of  rafts  had  passed  him,  some 
of  which  were  destined  for  a  market  as  far  south  as  he 
proposed  to  go,  and  he  had  the  rather  unpleasant  reflection, 
to  him,  that  the  advantage  of  being  first  in  market,  he 
had  lost.  However,  he  said  but  little,  but  gave  strict  atten 
tion  to  the  management  of  the  raft,  telling  the  men  that 
for  little  articles  that  were  occasionally  wanted,  they  must 
row  ahead  in  the  skiff  and  get  them  at  the  towns  they 
were  passing,  as  he  did  not  intend  to  land  the  raft  except 
when  absolutely  unavoidable. 

During  the  forenoon,  the  Doctor,  seeing  his  friend  take 


96  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

up  with  business,  and  engrossed  in  his  own  thoughts,  was 
obliged  to  betake  himself  to  his  books.  In  the  afternoon, 
however,  the  weather  was  so  delightful,  and  the  raft  mak 
ing  such  fine  progress,  the  two  soon  found  themselves 
together,  watching  the  beautiful  shores  and  the  lofty  bluffs. 
The  Doctor  seemed  lost  in  a  reverie  for  some  time;  at 
last  he  spoke  abruptly : 

"  Sydenham,  do  you  believe  in  a  hell  and  in  eternal 
punishment  ?  " 

"I  do  believe  in  the  Bible,  and  in  a  state  of  future 
rewards  and  punishments,"  replied  the  other. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  the  Doctor.  "  This  idea  of  some,  that 
fear  is  not  compatible  with  love,  is  not  the  true  one.  I 
think  it  not  only  is  compatible,  but  necessary,  even  in  the 
ordinary  affairs  of  society,  with  a  great  majority  of  men. 
Strange  that  men  will  insist  that  fear  of  the  divine  pun 
ishment  would  utterly  exclude  love  to  God,  when  we 
know  that  the  child  loves  its  parent,  but  also  feels  some 
measure  of  fear  in  all  cases,  except  where  parents  have 
entirely  surrendered  the  reins  of  government." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham ;  "  and  take  one  step  lower,  to 
the  brute  creation.  Take,  for  instance,  the  horse  and  dog, 
man's  every-day  companions;  and  any  and  every  man 
accustomed  to  them  well  knows  that  the  good  horseman 
or  hunter  inspires  both  sentiments  in  his  four-footed  com 
panion,  and  that  the  two  are  in  no  way  incompatible." 

"  Still,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  the  subject,  doubtless,  is  not 
yet  fully  understood," 

"  No,"  said  the  other,  u  and  right  there,  in  the  unity  of 
the  two  principles  of  love  and  fear,  is  locked  up  one  of 
the  greatest  of  human  mysteries,  or,  rather,  it  is  the  key  to 
unlock  the  wonders  of  God's  government,  and  the  great 
divine  plan  of  love,  justice  and  salvation." 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

The  raft  was  just  rounding  a  point  where  the  river 
made  a  bend  to  the  right,  bearing  to  the  west.  The  bluffs 
on  each  side  were  quite  lofty,  but  while  those  on  the  right 
bank  (or  rather  right-hand  side  of  the  river  and  back  from 
the  bank)  were  bathed  in  sunlight  from  base  to  summit, 
those  on  the  left,  cast  their  shadows  two-thirds  the  way 
across  the  river,  and  touched  the  larboard  side  of  the  raft. 
Just  opposite  the  raft,  on  the  left  bank,  or  Wisconsin  side 
two  Indian  families  had  erected  their  lodges.  The  squaws 
were  busied  about  the  wigwams,  while  several  Indian 
children  were  playing  near,  and  a  canoe  with  two  Indians 
in  it  was  approaching  from  down  the  river.  As  it  drew 
near  the  sandy  shore,  the  children  started  on  a  run  to  meet 
them,  while  the  squaws  followed  more  gravely  to  learn 
their  success  in  fishing. 

The  perfectly  tranquil  river,  the  quiet  and  lofty  hills, 
the  shadow  and  sunlight,  all  formed  a  picture  of  beauty 
and  peace  ravishing  to  the  senses,  and  long  to  be  remem 
bered.  The  raftsmen  in  following  the  channel  happened 
for  some  time  to  be  just  on  the  line  between  the  sunlight 
and  shadow,  and  the  effect  was  so  beautiful  and  peculiar 
that  all  noticed  it.  Our  friends  watched  the  lengthening 
shadows  gradually  changing  the  beautiful  scene  in  silence 
for  some  time.  At  length  the  Doctor  remarked : 

"  What  a  pity  that  the  Indians  cannot  be  dealt  with  on 
the  plain  principles  of  common  sense,  justice  and  Christi 
anity!  what  is  the  matter?  Those  principles  should  guide 
the  action  of  a  great,  free,  liberal  republic  like  ours." 

"  They  are  supposed  to  do  so,  "said  Sydenham,  "  but 
they  are  obscured  by  demagoguism  in  politics,  hypocrisy 
in  religion,  and  sectionalism  in  both." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  that  is  too  true.  I  remember 
in  1854  when  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  bill  was  under 


98  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

discussion  in  Congress,  Senator  Houston  stated,  substan 
tially,  that  while  it  violated  compromises  that  should  be 
sacred,  between  the  northern  and  southern  people,  it  also 

VIOLATED  A  NUMBER  OF  SOLEMN  TREATIES  MADE  BY  THE 
WHOLE  NATION  WITH  THE  INDIANS  INHABITING  THOSE 
TERRITORIES." 

"  Very  true,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and  yet  that  announce 
ment  made  not  the  slightest  impression  either  in  Congress, 
or  out  of  it*. 

"  The  political  leaders,"  said  the  Doctor,  "may  not  have 
been  entirely  destitute  of  respect  for  the  treaties,  and  for 
the  principles  of  justice;  but  they  were  determined  (each 
party)  upon  maintaining  positions  that  were  most  con 
spicuous  and  interesting  to  the  people,  to  whom  they 
looked  for  political  preferment ;  and  the  people  of  both 
parties  and  sections  were  far  more  interested  in  the  slavery 
question  than  they  were  in  the  fulfilment  of  compacts 
with  each  other,  or  treaties  with  the  Indians." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Sydenham,  "  the  great  majority  of  the 
people  of  this  nation  wished  the  compromise  measures 
and  the  Indian  treaties,  too,  to  stand, — to  maintain  and 
respect  them,  although  their  destroyers  have  gained  pro 
motion  by  their  overthrow." 

"  Houston's  words,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  will  live  in 
history,  as  the  utterances  of  a  true  statesman  and  patriot; 
indeed,  I  believe  the  organization  of  those  territories  at 

*"  Washington's  policy  in  regard  to  the  Indians  was  always  pacific  and 
humane.  He  considered  them  as  children,  who  should  be  treated  with  tender 
ness  and  forbearance.  He  aimed  to  conciliate  them  by  good  usage,  to  obtain 
their  lands  by  fair  purchase  and  punctual  payments,  to  make  treaties  with  them 
on  terms  of  equity  and  reciprocal  advantage,  and  strictly  to  redeem  every  pledge. 
In  these  respects  he  looked  upon  the  Indian  tribes  as  holding  the  same  rank 
and  the  same  rights  as  civilized  nations.  But  their  faithlessness,  ravages  and 
murders,  were  not  to  be  tolerated,  from  whatever  causes  they  arose." — Spark's 
Life  of  Washington,}  431, 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  99 

all,  at  that  time,  to  have  been  premature;  we  expend  too 
fast  in  everything;  far  better  is  it  to  grow  more  slowly 
and  more  solidly." 

"In  1854,"  said  the  other,  "the  political  heat  engen 
dered  by  the  Mexican  war,  the  acquisition  of  territory, 
and  the  compromise  of  1850,  had  not  yet  subsided.  The 
great  Clay  was  dead,  and  could  not  defend  his  noble  work. 
His  voice  was  heard  no  more  in  the  Senate,  but  instead, 
were  heard  the  voices  of  men  of  almost  as  great  abilities, 
greater  ambition  and  less  principle.  The  heat  and  ex 
citement,  too,  was  not  confined  to  the  political  world. 
The  gold  of  California,  followed  swiftly  by  the  great 
expansion  of  the  railroad  system,  the  building  of  cities, 
towns,  &c.,  made  that  an  exciting  period  in  the  social  and 
business  circles  of  the  country;  and  the  press  and  the 
pulpit  were  fired  with  ambition  to  lead,  to  govern,  to  be 
a  part  of  the  great  and  growing  mass." 

"  In  chemistry,"  said  Sydenham,  "  certain  tests  may  be 
applied  to  determine  certain  results;  so  in  the  moral  and 
political  world:  the  mass  seems  made  up  of  so  many 
different  elements  that  it  is  hard  to  tell  which  predomi 
nates.  Doubtless  there  was,  and  is,  with  many,  a  sincere 
belief  that  negro  servitude  is  wicked  and  wrong,  and 
some  of  this  class  may  have  a  strong  sense  of  justice 
toward  particular  classes,  and  some,  or,  possibly,  a  majority 
of  all  the  people,  may  appreciate  and  wish  to  apply  the 
principles  of  justice  to  all;  yet,  that  these  principles  did 
not  animate  Congress,  at  that  time,  is  clearly  proved  by 
the  fact  that  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  Indian  treaties; 
or,  rather,  that  after  their  attention  was  particularly 
called  to  them,  they  proceeded  to  deliberately  trample 
them  under  foot.  One  party  professed  great  devotion  to 
a  principle — the  principle  of  popular  sovereignty;  a  princi- 


100  THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST. 

pie  sound  in  the  main,  but  by  no  means  infallible.  And 
yet  its  supporters  claimed  nothing  less  than  absolute  infal 
libility  for  their  pet,  dogma — and  that,  with  the  example 
of  Utah  before  their  eyes  " 

"  Were  the  perpetrators  of  the  '  Mountain  Meadows' 
massacre  ever  brought  to  justice?"  enquired  the  other. 

"  No,  not  one  of  that  infamous  band  were  ever  brought 
to  justice.  The  government  officials  and  the  people  could 
not  see  farther  west  than  Kansas.  As  to  the  political 
parties,  neither  seemed  to  be  alive  to  that  fearful, deed  of 
blood,  (in  cruelty  equaling  and  in  treachery  surpassing 
far  the  wild  warfare  of  the  savages)  although  most 
keenly  alive  to  whatever  might  advance  their  chances 
of  success  in  the  elections.  In  the  great  crucible  of 
American  politics,  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  bill,  there 
fore,  furnishes  for  future  historians  a  test  It  proves 
that  in  neither  political  party  was  there  a  majority  in 
Congress  whose  course  was  influenced  solely  by  a  de 
sire  to  do  right  for  its  own  sake,  and  that  other  motives 
and  aims  warped  them  from  the  straight  and  narrow 
path  of  truth." 

The  shades  of  night  were  now  falling  over  the  great 
river,  and  a  call  to  supper  ended  the  conversation  between 
the  two  friends.  After  supper,  however,  it  was  resumed 
by  Sydenham : 

"  Do  you  think,  Doctor,  that  the  compromise  of  1850 
was  right  and  sufficient." 

"The  scriptural  axiom,"  said  the  Doctor,  "Sufficient 
for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof,'  is  a  good  one  in  private  af 
fairs,  and  eminently  wise  in  many  great  questions  that  arise 
in  the  affairs  of  governments. 

"  Time  will  always  furnish  a  solution  to  many  questions 
otherwise  insoluble;  men  must  labor,  but  they  must  also 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  tOl 

wait.  The  compromises  of  1820  and  of  1850  satisfied' 
the  people;  but  when  they  were  overturned,  the  people 
were  like  an  angry  swarm  of  bees,  and  the  Northern  people 
were  made  to  believe  that  slavery  would  spread,  or  might 
spread,  throughout  the  territories;  and  the  Southern  people 
were  led  also  to  believe  that  the  '-aggressive  North' 
would  never  let  them  take  their  negroes  into  any  territory, 
and  that  the  States  where  it  existed  would  be  so  out 
numbered  and  outvoted  that  they  would  never  have  any 
peace.  Hence  the  desperate,  disgraceful,  foolish  and 
wicked  struggle  in  Kansas.  Here  was  sown  the  fearful  seed 
of  dragon's  teeth,  which,  as  in  the  fable  of  old,  I  fear,  will 
bring  forth  a  crop  of  armed  men.  Had  the  compro 
mise  been  allowed  to  stand,  even  until  this  time,  it  would 
have  been  very  different.  The  lapse  of  time  would  at 
once  have  cooled  the  passions  of  the  people,  and  afforded 
opportunity  for  arriving  at  more  facts.  The  reaction  of 
1857  would  have  cooled  the  rage  for  speculation  and 
emigration.  The  Indian  question,  and  the  Pacific  rail 
road  ;  the  Pacific  coast,  and  the  trade  of  Asia,  (each  and 
all  questions  of  vast  practical  moment)  would  have  been 
brought  forward,  and  would  have  furnished  an  ample  field 
for  the  exercise  of  statesmanship,  philanthropy  and 
enterprise,  in  fields  most  inviting  and  safe;  indeed,  en 
tirely  free  from  the  fearful  dangers  that  must,  inevitably, 
attend  upon  any  rash  measures  or  experiments  with  the 
slavery  question.  Ignoring  history,  revelation  and 
present  facts,  there  is  a  determination  to  make  this  a 
moral  question;  and,  setting  aside  the  practical  issues 
involved,  the  theorists  (both  of  abolition  and  propagand- 
ism),  hesitate  not  to  attack  everything  that  lies  in  their 
path.  Sectionalism  never  was  so  fierce,  or  party  passion 
so  strong,  as  now,  while  consideration  for  political  oppo- 


102  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

nents,  and  regard  for  the  rights,  feelings,  and  interests  of 
each  section  by  the  other,  is  proportionately  weak;  indeed, 
the  extremists  of  each  section  (the  radicals),  seem  ani 
mated  by  intense  malice  and  hatred  against  the  other. 
Should  these  extremists  get  the  lead,  then  God  help  the 
country;  for  fanaticism,  violence  and  corruption  will  rule; 
and  a  fearful  rule  it  is.  The  great  majority  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  are  conservative;  yet  they  are  liable  to 
be  misled — indeed  they  have  already  been  misled  by  their 
trusted  leaders,  and  if  still  farther  misled,  untoward  cir 
cumstances  may  arise  that  will  give  the  lead  to  these 
same  extremists,  and  to  ambitious  demagogues;  and  then 
look  out  for  a  collision." 

"And  what  after  that?"  said  Sydenham. 

"That  is  beyond  mortal  ken,"  said  the  Doctor;  "but  I 
should  look  for  many  evils,  vast  in  magnitude,  infinite  in 
degree;  even  leaving  out,  altogether,  the  many  valuable 
lives  lost  in  battle,  and  by  the  fearful  vicissitudes  of  war, 
for  doubtless  a  terrible  civil  war,  which  would  be  one  of 
the  first  and  most  appalling  evils,  would  certainly  follow 
the  first  collision." 

"You  mean  the  first  collision  of  arms,"  said  Syden 
ham. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  although  a  collision  of  the 
powers  of  the  Federal  and  State  Governments  might 
occur  and  not  be  followed  by  a  collision  of  arms.  Such 
was  the  case  in  Jackson's  time,  in  1832,  when,  through 
the  wisdom  and  patriotism  of  a  few  men,  aided  by  some 
fortunate  circumstances,  a  great  calamity  was  averted. 
But  now,  unfortunately,  there  is  a  disposition  to  pervert 
the  truth  of  history,  and  to  make  it  appear  that  the  array 
of  force,  and  the  influence  of  fear,  were  the  sole  agencies 
that  were  used  to  avert  that  great  danger.  This  is  an 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  103 

ungenerous  and  a  dangerous  error — an  error  in  point  of 
facts  In  the  present  state  of  the  public  mind,  excited  by 
sectional  and  party  hate,  (the  political  demagogues, 
hungry  for  the  spoils  of  office)  wise-  and  patriotic  councils 
would  be  at  a  discount;  would  not  be  acted  upon,  either  in 
the  North  or  South ;  and  when  once  a  collision  of  author 
ity  occurred,  a  collision  of  arms  would  follow ;  and  this  by 
a  mighty  war — a  war,  the  heat  and  fury  of  which  would 
(without  the  exercise  of  magnanimnity)  be  liable  to 
consume  the  very  qualities  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of 
regard  for  each  other,  and  for  public  welfare,  upon  which 
the  government  rests.  If  this  was  all,  it  would  be  terri 
ble  for  the  present  generation,  but  the  next  might  revive 
the  principles  of  Christianity,  and  constitutional  govern 
ment,  and  rid  itself  of  the  corruption  that  would  enter 
upon  their  overthrow.  But  the  peculiar  misfortune  of 
civil  wars  is,  that  the  succeeding  generation  reap  the  bitter 
fruit,  and  gather  the  fearful  crop  of  hatred  sown  by  their 
fathers." 

"  You  take  a  gloomy  view  of  the  future,"  said  Syden- 
ham,  "  and  I  almost  fear  it  may  prove  well  founded ;  yet 
it  would  seem  that  such  stupendous  folly  and  crime 
belonged  to  the  dark  ages,  and  not  to  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  centuiy." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  it  would  so  seem, 
indeed;  and,"  he  added  gravely,  "I  hope  I  will  live  to 
see  that  I  have  been  only  a  visionary  alarmist." 

With  this,  the  conversation  ceased,  and  the  friends  sat 
in  silent  meditation.  Near  the  stern  or  rear  end  of  the 
raft,  one  of  the  men  was  playing  on  a  violin.  The  night 
was  calm  and  clear,  but  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen;  there 
was,  however,  a  bright  starlight.  The  forests  upon  the 
shores  cast  their  dark  shadows  upon  the  river  on  each  side, 


104  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

but  in  the  middle  was  a  lighter  streak,  which  reflected 
upon  its  surface  the  stars  overhead.  Nature  is  often  best 
enjoyed  in  silence;  and  the  men  sat  looking  upon  the 
quiet  river  and  its  sombre  shores  for  some  time  without  a 
word. 

"  Do  you  remember,  Doctor,"  said  Sydenham,  at  length, 
"the  words  of  Washington  regarding  magnanimity  in 
affairs  ot  state?" 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  do,"  said  the  other :  "  what  are 
they?" 

"  There  is  an  indissoluble  union  between  &  magnani 
mous  policy  and  the  "solid  rewards  of  public  prosperity 
and  felicity." 

"  There,"  said  Sydenham,  "  is  a  Christian  mirror  for  the 
statesmen  of  the  world :  hold  it  up  before  nations,  and 
what  errors  does  it  reveal  ?  Hold  it  up  before  our  own 
people,  and  our  Congress,  and  see  how  given  over  to 
partisanship,  personal  ambition  and  sectionalism  we  have 
been." 

Sydenham  rose  and  led  the  way  to  their  berths,  and 
soon  both  were  soundly  sleeping.  The  group  at  the 
stern  had  already  broken  up  and  gone  to  bed ;  and,  save 
an  occasional  word  from  the  pilot  and  his  watch,  no 
sound  ot  life  came  from  the  huge  floating  mass,  as  it  drifted 
onward  upon  the  swift  current  of  the  Mississippi. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

'HILE  our  raftsmen  are  drifting  on  past  the 
beautiful  towns  and  cities  of  the  great  States  of 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  which  line  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Upper  Mis 
sissippi,  and  before  they  enter  the  turbid  waters  of  the 
Lower  Mississippi,  we  must  leave  them  and  change  the 
scene  of  our  story  to  a  plantation  on  the  banks  of  the  lower 
river,  in  the  State  of  Louisiana.  It  was  in  that  fertile  and 
beautiful  delta  known  as  "  the  Coast,"  a  few  miles  below 
Baton  Rouge,  the  capital  of  Louisiana,  and  only  about 
fifty  miles  above  New  Orleans,  the  metropolis  of  the  south 
west.  The  river  here  is  very  different  from  where  we  left 
the  raft,  and  so  is  the  scenery.  That  was  beautiful  and 
grand,  but  a  beauty  and  grandeur  of  a  very  different 
style.  There  were  clear  waters,  rocks  and  towering 
bluffs.  Here  are  dark  and  turbid  waters,  but  a  wide, 
deep  and  most  noble  river,  very  deep  and  free  from  rocks, 
snags  and  shoals.  The  shores  are  low,  and  the  highest 
part  is  but  a  few  rods  back  from  the  river.  Here  the 
famed  "  levees"  are  constructed ;  an  embankment  of  earth 
reared  upon  the  top  of  the  little  natural  ridge  near  the 
river.  From  this  the  surface  gradually  descends,  as  you  go 
back  from  the  river,  until,  at  the  distance  of  from  one 
to  three  miles,  you  reach  the  swamp.  These  lands  are  in 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation;  or,  rather,  were  at  the 
time  of  which  we  write ;  and,  as  they  had  been  so  divided  as 
to  give  every  planter  a  front  upon  the  river,  while  bounded 


106  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

in  the  rear  by  the  swamp,  the  effect  was  to  form  almost  a 
continuous  village  on  each  bank  of  the  river,  all  the  way 
up  from  New  Orleans  to  Baton  Rouge.  Just  inside  the 
levee  is  the  public  road,  and  upon  the  road  and  river 
front  the  residences  of  the  planters,  with  the  groups  of 
negro  quarters,  sugar  mills,  &c.,  near  each.  Beautiful 
groves  and  avenues  of  orange  trees  abound.  The  whole 
country  is  cultivated  in  sugar-cane,  the  delicate  light 
green  of  which,  forms  a  striking  contrast  with  the  sombre, 
and  very  dark-green  foliage  of  the  live-oak  trees,  which 
here  and  there  dot  the  beautiful  delta,  or  fringe  its  back 
ground. 

We  have  said  that  the  dwellings  and  business  of  the 
population  and  the  public  road  was  along  the  river  bank. 
Nevertheless,  the  scene,  while  enlivened  by  the  life  of  a 
quiet,  yet  strong  and  advancing  civilization,  population 
and  power,  was  in  no  way  robbed  of  the  simplicity,  beauty 
and  grandeur  which  nature  alone  can  give :  for  the  great 
and  majestic  river,  was  the  leading  feature  in  the  picture; 
and  upon  it  man  had  wrought  no  change  whatever.  In 
times  of  great  floods,  indeed,  its  superabundant  waters 
would  be  kept  from  extending  far  beyond  their 
natural  banks  by  the  artificial  levees;  but  at  all  other 
seasons  (save  that  it  bore  upon  its  bosom  the  proud  mes 
sengers  of  a  mighty  commerce)  its  deep  and  silent  waters 
flowed  onward  to  the  sea  in  all  the  quiet  majesty  of 
nature. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  it  was  a  rich  feast  for 
the  traveler,  bound  up  from  New  Orleans,  to  take  passage 
on  one  of  the  large  and  elegant  Mississippi  steamers  that 
would  leave  that  port  in  the  morning.  This  would  give 
an  opportunity  to  see  the  beautiful  panorama  of  "the 
coast"  by  daylight.  From  the  upper  deck  you  look  down 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  IQ*J 

upon  the  shores;  the  land  though  highest  near  the  river 
being  lower  than  the  upper  deck.  But  back  from  the 
river  the  tops  of  the  cane  seem  lower  than  the  surface  of 
the  water.  The  effect  of  this  is  most  pleasing  and 
singular :  you  appear  to  be  floating  above  the  enchanting 
scenes  of  fairy  land.  The  river  is  dark,  wide  and  sombre. 
The  country  is  below  you,  radiant  in  its  mantle  of  pea- 
green,  (the  color  of  the  sugar-cane)  dotted  and  edged  with 
the  very  dark  foliage  of  the  live-oak  and  cypress.  The 
river,  a  full  mile  or  more  in  width,  bears  upon  its  broad 
bosom  many  large  steamers,  and  other  water  craft,  and 
upon  its  shores  a  teeming  population. 

But  enough  of  description :  our  business  is  with  one 
family  in  this  southern  land — this  hive  of  sweets,  and,  we 
may  add,  of  industry  and  thrift.  The  plantation  is  one 
of  about  the  average  size,  and  the  buildings  are  not  larger 
or  more  costly  than  the  average  planters'  residences  on 
the  coast.  Everything  is  in  good  order,  as  is  usual  here; 
and  considerable  taste  has  been  shown  in  the  grounds 
about  the  mansion,  in  the  planting  of  shrubbery  and  trees, 
and  in  the  general  arrangement  of  the  place.  The  negro 
quarters  are  neat  and  comfortable;  and  by  day  are 
enlivened  by  the  voices  and  gambols  of  children,  and  at 
night  by  the  songs,  chatter  and  merry-making  of  the  adult 
colored  people  of  both  sexes.  The  residence  is  surrounded 
by  wide  and  airy  verandas,  and  has  a  most  comfortable 
and  homelike  appearance,  but  by  no  means  pretentious  or 
ostentatious.  Its  "expression,"  as  Downing  would  say, 
is  of  quiet,  of  comfort  and  of  open  hospitality.  Nor  does 
this  outside  appearance  at  all  mislead ;  for  tranquil,  peace 
ful,  innocent  enjoyment  of  life,  adorned  by  the  genuine 
virtues  of  kindness,  integrity,  hospitality  and  faith  are 
the  characteristics  of  its  inmates. 


IO8  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

Henry  Barrona,  the  owner  of  this  place,  was  born  of 
French  and  English  parents,  in  this  country,  and  had 
been  living  in  this  very  house  about  twenty-five  years.  His 
father,  Pierre  Barrona,  had  left  France  during  the  horrors  of 
the  "  reign  of  terror,"  after  the  beginning  of  the  revolution, 
and,  after  many  wanderings,  had  finally  come  to  New  Or 
leans,  about  the  year  1800.  Here,  not  long  after,  he  had 
married  an  English  lady,  the  widow  of  an  enterprising 
young  English  merchant,  who  had  recently  come  out  from 
England,  and  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  yellow  fever. 
Barrona  belonged  to  an  old  and  wealthy  family  of  France, 
but,  as  his  parents  died  about  the  beginning  of  the  revolu 
tion,  and  as  he  had  no  brothers  or  sisters,  he  formed  the 
determination  never  to  return ;  and  after  his  marriage  in 
New  Orleans,  (then  an  insignificant  town)  devoted  him 
self  to  mercantile  pursuits.  A  fine  specimen  of  the 
French  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  chivalrous  and  gen 
erous,  with  all  the  vivacity  of  his  race,  and  its  high  sense 
of  honor.  He  was  most  ardently  attached  to  his  wife, 
whose  tranquil  virtues  and  patient  thoughtfulness  of  every 
duty  in  life  were  in  strong  contrast  with  her  impulsive 
husband. 

Here  Henry  was  born,  and  afterward  two  daughters, 
one  of  whom  died  young,  while  the  other  (Margaret) 
married  a  planter  on  the  coast,  and  lived  only  about  three 
miles  from  her  brother. 

Henry  Barrona  quite  early  showed  a  distaste  for  the 
life  of  a  merchant,  and,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  came 
up  on  the  coast  and  settled  on  land  his  father  had  pur 
chased.  Educated  in  the  most  careful  manner,  by  the 
most  careful  parents,  and  especially  by  the  most  devoted 
mother,  young  Barrona  did  not  altogether  relish  the 
society  of  the  fashionable  circles  in  New  Orleans,  nor  of 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  109 

the  coast,  at  that  time;  and  soon  after  his  plantation  was 
improved,  leaving  it  in  the  hands  of  an  overseer,  he  spent 
several  years  traveling  in  Europe,  in  the  north  of  Africa, 
in  Egypt  and  in  Palestine.  On  his  return  from  the  East 
he  spent  some  months  in  Spain,  and  there  married,  under 
singular  and  romantic  circumstances,  (of  which  we  must 
give  a  sketch)  a  daughter  of  that  sunny  land. 

Juan  Pinzon,  of  Seville,  a  man  who,  had  circumstances 
favored,  might  have  become  famous,  was  one  of  that 
numerous  class,  all  the  world  over,  who  have  to  struggle 
through  life  for  a  subsistence. 

Every  one  knows  that  bull  fighting  is  a  national  amuse 
ment  in  Spain;  that  thousands  gather  to  witness  these 
gladiat9rial  contests  of  man  against  brute. 

Pinzon  was  a  bull-fighter  from  necessity,  and  fought  the 
bulls  for  the  people's  amusement,  because  by  it  he  could 
gain  his  bread,  Nevertheless,  though  a  poor  matadore,  he 
won  the  love  of  a  high-born  Castilian  beauty,  the  daugh 
ter  of  a  house  possessing  a  stock  of  pride  sufficient  for  a 
nation,  if  distributed  out  in  small  parcels.  Fearful  was 
the  rage  and  fury  when  she  eloped  with  the  matadore. 
But  in  another  city  they  dwelt  in  safety,  and  Juan  pur 
sued  his  trade,  hazarding  khis  life  for  a  support  for  his 
fondly  loved  wife.  His  devoted  wife  loved  him  as  only  a 
Spanish  woman  can  love ;  but  the  burthen  of  disgrace  and 
disinheritance  heaped  upon  her  by  her  family  were  too 
much,  and  she  died  when  her  first-born  and  only  child 
was  but  ten  years  old.  The  poor  matadore,  whose  life 
had  been  gloriously  brightened  by  the  love  of  this  self- 
sacrificing,  beautiful  and  affectionate  woman,  (who  was 
of  that  kind  of  whom  Irving  says:  "one  of  the  most 
gifted  and  fascinating  beings  I  ever  met  with,  even  among 
the  fascinating  daughters  of  Spain,")  was  almost  heart- 


HO  THE    HEART   OF    THE    WEST. 

broken  at  his  loss,  but  soon  transferred  all  his  earthly 
affections  to  his  beautiful  child ;  and,  as  she  grew  in  years, 
the  more,  to  her  father's  eye,  she  resembled  her  mother, 
and  the  more  she  absorbed  the  gushing  affection  of  his 
soul.  Rejecting,  with  a  scorn  embittered  by  the  thought 
of  his  wife's  long  grief,  all  offers  from  her  family  to  adopt 
his  daughter  as  their  own,  he  managed  out  of  his  scanty 
earnings  to  provide  for  and  educate  her  in  a  manner 
befitting  her  talents  and  beauty.  And  Isabella  Pinzon 
was  beautiful,  even  in  Spain — that  land  of  female  loveli 
ness.  Her  father  had  watched  her  with  most  jealous  care ; 
and  her  filial  affection,  heightened  by  companionship,  and 
a  knowledge  of  the  fearful  danger  of  his  life,  caused  her 
to  love  her  father  as  few  fathers  are  loved,  and  ,to  reject 
the  advances  of  suitors  whom  he  disapproved. 

It  was  at  Cadiz  that  young  Barrona  first  saw  and  loved 
this  beautiful  girl.  It  was  not  long  after  seeing  her  at  the 
cathedral  that  he  sought  out  her  father  at  his  humble  lodg 
ings,  and  asked  permission  to  wait  upon  his  daughter. 
Pinzon  was  pleased  with  the  manly  foreigner,  and  well 
knew  the  difference  between  this  man  of  honor  and  the 
butterflies  of  fashion  against  whom  he  had  kept  strict 
watch  over  his  pearl ;  and  after  he  had  become  satisfied 
through  a  commercial  house  of  the  standing  of  Barrona, 
he  had  introduced  him  to  his  daughter,  to  whom  he  paid 
his  addresses.  But  Isabella  Pinzon  rejected  his  offer.  She 
knew  little  of  the  world ;  and  the  American  did  not  win  her 
love.  Yet  she  treated  him  kindly,  though  her  eyes  rested 
longer  on  the  gay  and  dashing  cavaliers  of  Cadiz.  They 
were  gallant  in  appearance,  and  looked  brave,  if  not 
heroic ;  and  she  could  discover  nothing  heroic  in  the  rather 
modest  Barrona,  who  possessed  much  of  his  mother's 
gentleness.  Naturally  enough,  she  did  not  appreciate  him, 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  Ill 

nor  did  he  know  the  mysterious  secrets  of  a  woman's 
heart.  As  she  treated  him  with  gentle  kindness,  her 
father  hoped  she  would  yet  learn  to  love  him.  It  was  on 
the  occasion  of  a  great  tournament  that  all  this  was 
changed,  and  a  great  grief  came  upon  her. 

Her  father  was  considered  one  of  the  best  bull-fighters 
in  Spain ;  yet  he  preferred  fighting  the  bulls  on  foot,  and 
always  dreaded  the  dangers  of  the  arena  on  horseback. 
On  this  occasion  the  fete  was  to  be  one  of  extraordinary 
magnificence.  A  wild  bull  of  remarkable  size  and  feroc 
ity  had  been  procured,  and  Pinzon,  assisted  by  two  others, 
was  to  fight  him  on  horseback. 

Isabella  knew  the  danger  of  her  father  in  these  encoun 
ters  ;  but  from  her  childhood  he  had  rarely  been  hurt,  and 
she  had  no  fears.  A  gay  young  gallant  had  invited  her 
to  accompany  him  to  the  amphitheatre,  and,  against  her 
father's  wishes,  though  not  against  his  commands,  she  had 
accepted  his  invitation. 

The  amphitheatre  was  one  of  the  finest  in  Spain ;  the 
audience  was  brilliant;  on  all  sides  of  the  arena  was  a 
blaze  of  beauty  and  fashion. 

The  signal  was  given,  and  in  galloped  the  matadores. 
Her  father  at  the  head  elicited  the  praise  of  all.  Another 
signal,  and  the  bull  is  released,  and  with  a  furious  bellow 
rushed  into  the  ring.  The  other  matadores  pierced  him 
with  their  lances  to  increase  his  fury,  and  then,  when  his 
rage  was  greatest,  the  signal  was  given  to  evade  him  no 
longer,  but  'begin  the  attack.  Pinzon  urged  his  horse  for 
ward,  but  frightened  at  the  size  and  fury  of  the  bull,  the 
steed  shied  and  reared  upon  his  hind  legs.  In  an  instant 
the  bull  was  upon  him,  and  horse  and  rider  were  rolled 
in  the  dirt.  Pinzon's  form  was  hidden  for  a  moment,  but 
the  next  revealed  to  the  spectators  that  the  horse,  impaled 


112  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

upon  the  horns  of  the  bull,  had  fallen  upon  him,  and  the 
bull  was  fiercely  goring  both.  The  other  matadores 
could  not  bring  their  horses  to  the  attack,  and  a  moment 
more  would  decide  the  fate  of  the  man.  Piercing  screams 
from  the  ladies  were  heard  on  all  sides.  Young  Barrona, 
snatching  a  sword  and  cloak  from  a  Spanish  gallant  near 
him,  who  had  leveled  his  opera  glass  critically  upon  the 
brutal  scene,  sprang  into  the  arena.  Instantly  every  sound 
was  hushed.  Barrona  paused  not  for  an  instant,  but 
bounded  quickly  to  the  side  of  the  bull,  and  plunged 
the  blade  into  him.  The  monster  turned  with  a  roar  of 
pain,  and  Barrona  struggled  in  vain  to  recover  his  blade. 
It  broke  in  the  middle.  The  hot  breath  of  the  enraged 
brute  was  upon  him.  Hurling  the  cloak,  it  caught  by  a 
lucky  chance  over  his  horns,  and  for  a  moment  blinded 
him.  That  moment  was  enough:  the  stroke  he  had 
received  was  mortal,  and  he  soon  reeled  and  then  fell. 
The  amphitheatre  resounded  with  applause.  Barrona  gave 
no  further  thought  to  the  bull,  but  rushed  to  rescue  the 
unfortunate  Pinzon.  Isabella  was  already  there.  The 
matadores  and  assistants  removed  the  dying  horse,  and 
Isabella  and  Barrona  kneeled  beside  the  dying  man. 
Skillful  surgeons  were  soon  in  attendance,  and,  to  the  anx 
ious  question  of  Barrona,  answered  that  he  had  not  long 
to  live,  certainly  not  but  a  few  hours.  Yet,  in  spite  of 
his  fearful  injuries,  and  the  sudden  and  terrible  shock,  the 
unfortunate  man  was  perfectly  conscious.  His  upturned 
eyes  had  rested  on  Barrona  when  he  dealt  the  deadly 
thrust  to  the  bull ;  he  had  seen  his  peril  and  his  deliver 
ance,  and  he  had  marked  the  burning  glance  of  gratitude 
and  admiration  the  weeping  daughter  of  his  heart  had 
cast  upon  her  rejected  suitor,  as  they  kneeled  beside  him. 
Pinzon,  although  a  bull-fighter  from  necessity,  was  a  most 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  113 

gallant,  devoted,  brave  and  sagacious  man.  He  knew 
that  his  daughter  was  possessed  of  a  noble  soul,  and  that 
Barrona  was  every  way  worthy  of  her;  and  it  had  grieved 
him  very  greatly  that  the  American's  quiet  and  gentle 
ways  had  caused  him  to  be  outshone  by  the  dashing  but 
really  worthless  cavaliers  of  Cadiz.  Besides,  he  knew 
that  Barrona  was  wealthy,  or  at  least  possessed  of  a  com 
petency,  and  that  he  could  place  his  darling  beyond  the 
reach  of  that  blighting  poverty  that  her  devoted  mother 
had  borne  for  him,  and  with  which  he  had  all  his  life 
struggled :  for  Pinzon  would  always  tell  his  family  and 
friends,  when  allusion  was  made  to  his  profession,  that  it 
was  poverty  and  not  the  bulls  that  he  was  righting.  So 
now  the  poor  matadore,  after  periling  his  life  for  many 
years  to  support  his  loved  ones,  and  having  passed  through 
dangers  innumerable  almost  unscathed,  meeting  at  length 
his  terrible  fate,  sees  the  hope  revealed  through  that  same 
stroke  of  the  fulfilment  of  his  dearest  earthly  wishes. 
He  was  borne  away  kindly  and  tenderly  to  his  little  home ; 
and  Isabella,  with  her  beauteous  face  bathed  in  tears,  min 
istered  to  him  with  all  the  wild  devotion  of  despair. 
Pinzon  suffered  fearful  agony,  but  his  soul  was  roused  to 
its  highest  and  noblest  powers,  and,  despite  his  agony,  he 
longed  to  know  that  his  wishes  would  be  realized, 
and  his  child  given  in  marriage  to  so  true  and  brave  a 
man.  When  all  had  gone  save  the  physician,  the  priest 
and  Barrona,  the  dying  man  signified  his  wish  to  be  alone 
with  his  daughter.  Silently  they  withdrew,  and  Pinzon 
took  the  hand  of  his  weeping  girl  in  his  own. 

"  My  daughter,"  said  he,  "  child  of  your  sainted  mother, 
I  will  soon  die,  and  you  will  be  left  alone  in  a  selfish  and 
wicked  world.  Tell  me,  child,  which  one  of  these  Cadiz 


114  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

gallants  do  you  love,  and  who  will  offer  you  his  hand 
when  you  are  alone  and  friendless  in  the  world  ? " 

"  I  love  none  of  them,  my  father;  they  are  all  selfish  and 
base  cowards,  who  would  have  let  the  bull  gore  you  to 
death.  I  despise  them  all,"  sobbed  the  poor  girl. 

A  smile  of  gladness  lighted  the  matadore's  bronzed  face. 

"  And  what  of  the  American,"  he  asked,  "  do  you  still 
despise  him?  He  will  soon  sail  for  the  New  World.' 

"Despise  him!"  said  Isabella,  "Oh,  no,  dear  father;  I 
could  not  despise  the  noblest  and  bravest  man  in  Cadiz." 

"  My  child,  could  I  give  you  to  him  before  I  die,  I 
should  be  happy.  Tell  me,  will  you  not  love  him  ?  " 

"  I  do  now  love  him,  my  father,"  said  Isabella,  "  but 
he  will  leave  me  after  what  has  passed." 

Pinzon  motioned  for  the  door  to  be  opened,  and  for  the 
others  to  approach,  and  there,  in  the  presence  of  the 
dying  man,  the  weeping  girl  was  betrothed.  There  were 
no  dry  eyes  there;  even  the  old  Spanish  surgeon,  who  had 
witnessed  human  agony  on  the  battlefield,  and  in  every 
form,  wept  tears  of  sorrow  and  of  joy,  while  the  vener 
able  priest  fervently  blessed  the  weeping  pair. 

A  moment  more,  and  Pinzon,  embracing  fervently  his 
beloved  daughter,  and  grasping  the  hand  of  Barrona, 
motioned  them  back,  and  then  the  last  rites  of  the  church 
were  administered.  This  done,  Pinzon  motioned  Isabella 
and  Barrona  to  join  hands,  and  taking  their  clasped 
hands  in  both  of  his,  they  kneeling  by  his  bedside,  he 
with  his  last  words  invoked  the  blessing  of  God  upon  this 
union  and  upon  their  posterity.  His  voice  then  sunk  to  a 
whisper,  and  Isabella  could  only  distinguish  the  name  of 
her  dead  mother.  A  few  moments  more,  and  the  soul  of 
the  matadore  had  winged  its  flight. 

The  Cadiz  journals  were  filled  with  accounts  of  the 


THE    HEART   OF    THE    WEST.  1 15 

death  of  the  most  celebrated  bull-fighter  in  Spain,  and  the 
family  of  Isabella  Pinzon's  mother  soon  heard  of  her 
father's  death,  and  sent  to  ask  her  to  come  and  live  with 
them ;  and  this,  by  the  advice  of  Barrona  and  the  good 
priest,  she  finally  did ;  and  there,  some  months  later,  the 
marriage  was  solemnized ;  and  Barrona  soon  after  sailed 
for  America  with  his  bride.  Soon  after  reaching  New 
Orleans  his  father  died,  and  he  then  removed  with  his 
wife  and  mother  to  the  plantation ;  and  here  Isabella  Pin- 
zon  Barrona,  the  character  we  will  now  introduce  to  the 
reader,  was  born.  She  was  now  almost  twenty  years  of 
age,  a  fully  matured  woman,  rather  tall,  of  a  graceful 
form  of  almost  faultless  proportions.  She  was  indeed 
most  beautiful,  but  her  beauty  was  rather  of  the  Spanish 
type,  more  than  French,  English  or  American,  though  all 
were  somewhat  blended.  It  was  in  her  character  and 
manners  that  Isabella  happily  illustrated  the  blending  of 
these  nationalities;  in  the  vivacity  of  the  French,  the  sta 
bility  and  dignity  of  the  English,  the  practical  originality 
and  adaptation  to  circumstances  of  the  American,  and 
the  warm  affection  and  devotion  of  the  Spanish  woman. 
Inheriting  piety  and  religious  faith,  it  was  with  her  a  fixed 
principle,  and  a  part  of  her  nature,  not  yet,  however, 
sublimated  and  refined  by  suffering  and  trial  to  that  high 
degree  that  maturer  years  would  bring;  yet  love  to  God, 
and  love  and  charity  for  all  mankind,  had  been  instilled 
into  her  mind  from  infancy;  and  her  generous  nature 
developed  the  seeds  of  pure  instruction,  so  that  now  her 
full  and  generous  soul  beamed  from  her  eyes,  and  spoke 
in  every  word  and  act  and  look.  To  minister  to  the  sick, 
the  suffering  and  the  poor,  was  with  her  no  hard  task, 
performed  only  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  leaving  behind 
a  painful  sense  of  meritorious  conduct  and  great  right- 


Il6  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

eousness  on  her  part.  Noble  and  generous  impulses  were 
with  her  like  a  perennial  spring,  bursting  from  the  rock  of 
a  lofty  faith  and  pure  character,  refreshing  everything  it 
touched,  happy  in  the  good  deeds  that  made  others  happy. 
The  negroes  on  the  plantation  looked  upon  her  as  a  kind 
of  ministering  angel,  and  their  love  was  tempered  by  rev 
erence  and  resepct.  Happy  and  contented  with  their  lot, 
(for  they  had  a  kind  master)  there  was  rarely  much  suf- 
frying  to  alleviate;  yet  the  sick  always  expected  and 
received  a  visit  from  the  "  young  missus,"  the  prelude 
always  of  delicacies  and  supplies  sent  for  their  use.  Her 
life  had  been  beset  by  few  crosses  and  trials,  and  her  spirit 
was  joyous  and  free,  and  yet  thoughtful  and  contemplative. 
Compared  with  the  gay  butterflies  of  fashion,  she  would 
have  seemed  a  sage.  Well  acquainted  with  the  languages 
of  her  parents  and  grandparents,  she  had  read  under  the 
tutelage  of  her  father  many  of  the  choicest  works  in  the 
English,  French  and  Spanish  languages,  and  was  well 
grounded  in  history  and  science.  Graceful  in  her  move 
ments  and  bearing,  with  eyes  dark,  lustrous  and  expres 
sive,  the  great  poet's  words  might  fitly  be  applied : 

"  Grace  in  her  form,  Heaven  in  her  eye, 
In  every  movement  dignity  and  love." 

Such  was  our  heroine.  Nature  had  done  much  for  her, 
and  the  fortunate  circumstances  of  her  life,  and  education 
under  the  eyes  of  a  careful  mother,  and  a  father  who  knew 
the  world,  had  done  more.  The  cold,  chilling  breath  of 
poverty  had  never  blown  upon  her  ardent  and  impulsive 
nature,  nor  had  the  opposite  influences  of  wealth  and 
fashion  ever  corroded  her  soul.  She  had  been  taught 
respect  for  her  parents  in  all  things;  and  this  had  done 
much  to  prevent  her  affections  being  fixed,  ere  the  time  of 
which  we  write,  upon  some  unworthy  object.  Her 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST.  ll>] 

mother  had  told  her,  over  and  over  again,  the  story  of  her 
girlhood,  and  of  her  own  narrow  escape  from  all  the  ills 
of  misplaced  love ;  of  the  terrible  death  of  her  father,  her 
discovery  of  the  baseness  of  her  lover,  and  the  worth  of 
Barrona ;  of  her  instant  and  full-grown  love,  even  in  that 
fearful  moment;  of  her  dying  father's  devotion  and  hero 
ism,  in  securing  and  confirming  their  betrothal  when  in 
the  very  throes  of  death ;  of  her  sorrow,  and  all  the  strange, 
sad,  unwonted  incidents  of  that  most  singular  and  hal 
lowed  period  of  her  life,  in  which  grief  and  love  so 
strongly  and  so  sacredly  joined. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

'HE  other  characters  in  this  southwestern  home 
are  quickly  sketched.  They  are  the  younger 
children. 

Pierre,  named  after  his  grandfather,  a  fine  and  manly 
youth  of  seventeen ;  and  Mary,  a  daughter  of  fourteen, 
in  whom  appeared  more  of  the  English  cast  of  features 
of  her  grandmother  than  was  shown  by  her  elder  sister. 

Pierre  was  now  at  home  from  his  iirst  college  vacation, 
and  the  younger  daughter  was  to  be  sent  to  an  institution 
in  St.  Louis,  the  following  autumn. 

Both  parents  were  fond  of  reading  and  study ;  and  the 
Spanish  woman,  under  the  tuition  of  her  husband,  had 
amply  made  amends  for  the  deficiency  of  her  younger 
days.  Barrona  attended  carefully  and  diligently  to  busi 
ness,  in  all  its  plans,  arrangments  and  details,  but  as  this 
was  done  every  day,  so  every  day  gave  him  also  sufficient 
time  for  study,  social  intercourse,  open  air  exercise  and 
the  family  circle.  With  the  lady  of  the  house  the  same 
excellent  order  and  division  of  time  prevailed,  and  a  home 
that  was  indeed  "  sweet  "  was  the  result.  Here  flourished 
the  genuine  virtues  and  pleasures  of  life,  and  religion  was 
their  handmaid.  Very  little  attention  was  paid  to  fashion. 
They  rarely  visited  the  city,  but  the  climate  obliged  them 
to  go  almost  every  season,  for  a  period,  away  from  the 
malaria  of  the  swamps.  And  this  season  they  had  pro 
posed  an  extended  tour,  and  for  the  first  time  to  visit  St. 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST.  119 

Paul,  which  they  could  do  by  embarking  for  that  pur 
pose  on  a  steamer  at  the  landing  near  their  sugar-mill,  and 
with  a  single  change  at  St.  Louis,  disembarking  at  St. 
Paul.  On  this  trip  they  were  soon  to  embark;  and  the 
daughters  and  son,  who  had  long  been  promised  this,  to 
them,  extraordinary  recreation  and  grand  summer  tour, 
were  in  a  fever  of  anticipation  and  excitement.  Barrona, 
who  was  a  "  traveled  man,"  looked  with  pleasure  upon 
this  delightful  expectation  on  the  part  of  the  younger 
members  of  his  family,  and  that  of  his  sister  who  were  to 
accompany  him.  Of  this  sister  and  her  family  we  must 
now  say  a  few  words. 

Julia  Barrona  was  the  only  sister  of  Henry,  and  mar 
ried,  during  her  father's  lifetime,  a  northern  merchant 
named  Johnson,  who  had  suffered  a  commercial  ship 
wreck  of  his  fortune  and  business  in  one  of  the  numerous 
financial  revulsions  to  which  our  country  seems  almost  as 
much  subject  as  South  America  is  to  earthquakes.  Sick 
and  disgusted  with  the  world,  he  went  to  New  Orleans, 
where  his  capacity  and  integrity  and  steadfast  sterling 
character  soon  won  him  many  friends,  and  where  he  in  a 
few  years  retrieved  his  affairs.  A  warm  friendship  existed 
between  him  and  the  elder  Barrona,  which  seemed  also  to 
descend  to  the  daughter,  whom  he  wooed  and  won,  and 
they  were  married,  on  her  brother's  return  from  the  old 
world.  Succeeding  well  in  commercial  pursuits,  he  yet 
was  not  content  to  pass  his  life  in  the  turmoil  and  risk  of 
commerce;  and,  some  time  after  his  brother-in-law  had 
settled  on  "the  coast,"  he  too  bought  a  plantation  a  few 
miles  below,  and,  closing  up  all  his  business  in  the  city,  he 
began  the  quiet  life  of  a  planter.  Here,  after  some  years 
of  happy  domestic  life,  he  died  of  yellow  fever,  about  five 
years  before  the  period  of  our  story,  leaving  his  wife,  a 


120  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

daughter  and  son,  possessed  of  a  handsome  fortune. 
Amelia  Johnson  was  now  in  her  eighteenth  year,  while 
her  brother  Thomas  was  in  his  sixteenth.  Wealthy,  and 
deprived  of  a  father's  guidance  while  so  young,  certainly, 
it  was  by  no  means  strange  if  they  were  somewhat  pos 
sessed  of  those  objectionable  characteristics  of  the  children 
of  so  many  wealthy  parents,  who  are  neglected  or  spoiled 
by  over-indulgence:  and  yet  the  sterling  qualities  of 
father  and  mother  asserted  themselves,  and  they  strictly 
obeyed  their  gentle  mother,  who  in  her  widowhood  gov 
erned  her  family,  her  home  and  plantation,  with  dis 
cretion,  ability  and  dignity,  assisted  of  course  by  the  coun 
sel  and  advice  of  her  brother.  Amelia  was  a  beautiful 
girl,  Anglo-American  in  appearance  and  character,  with 
fair  complexion,  blue  eyes  and  auburn  hair,  amiable  and 
less  impassioned  and  enthusiastic  than  her  half-Spanish 
cousin,  Isabella,  yet  withal  more  self-willed  and  wayward. 
Her  brother  was  a  promising  boy,  but  rather  slight  and 
delicate  in  form — not  robust,  as  if  reared  in  a  purer  and 
more  bracing  atmosphere.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Johnson, 
was  now  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  and  was  a  handsome 
and  highly  interesting  lady,  of  excellent  head  and  heart, 
and  looked  forward  to  the  Minnesota  tour  with  as  much 
pleasurable  anticipation  as  did  her  children,  and  even 
more ;  for  it  would  be  a  relief  from  the  constant  care  of 
the  plantation,  which,  since  her  husband's  death,  devolved 
upon  her,  and  which  had  been  like  the  government  of  a 
little  kingdom.  Like  Penelope,  too,  it  furnished  her  the 
means  of  escape  from  importunate  suitors,  which,  from 
the  earliest  ages,  no  wealthy,  amiable  and  handsome 
widow  has  ever  been  without. 

Of  Barrona  we  must  now  say  a  few  more  words.     He 
was  now  at  that  time  of  life  when  the  reflective  powers 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  121 

are  strongest,  and  judgment  best.  Singularly  generous 
and  magnanimous  in  disposition,  he  yet  knew  enough  of 
the  world  to  be  wary  and  cautious  in  great  and  important 
affairs;  yet  he  was  always  open,  frank  and  genial.  A 
Catholic  by  education,  he  was  by  no  means  a  bigot,  or  a 
blind  follower  of  priestly  guidance;  but,  taught  by  his 
gentle  English  mother,  he  drew  his  faith  from  the  pure 
fountain  of  the  gospel,  and  knew  that  in  love  to  God, 
and  love  to  man,  was  found  the  only  religious  character 
truly  worthy.  So  in  politics  he  drew  his  opinions  from 
the  teachings  of  history,  the  study  of  the  writings  of  the 
founders  of  our  government,  and  the  analysis  of  its  struc 
ture  and  of  present  and  settled  facts.  Such  a  man  could 
not  of  course  be  a  sectarian  in  religion,  or  a  sectionalist  in 
politics;  and  Barrona  was  neither.  He  was  a  Christian, 
and  loved  his  Maker  and  his  Saviour,  and  revered  his 
word.  He  was  an  American,  and  reverenced  the  constitu 
tion  and  laws  of  his  country,  and  despised  its  demagogues. 
And  so  very  naturally  he  found  himself  without  a  church, 
and  without  a  party,  and  so,  far  less  popular  (though  none 
the  less  respected)  than  he  would  otherwise  have  been. 
And  maintaining  thus  his  integrity,  he  had  kept  aloof 
from  all  political  ambition,  and  enjoyed  the  quiet  of  his 
home ;  but  the  days  were  coming  when  he  could  no  longer 
do  this.  Plain  and  unostentatious  in  his  style  of  living 
and  personal  expenditures,  his  wealth  was  used  with 
a  free  hand  to  promote  the  advancement  of  all  worthy 
objects ;  and  no  worthy  person  in  need  ever  went  "  empty 
away"  from  him.  To  the  pride  of  wealth,  of  position, 
of  family,  or  of  section,  he  was  a  stranger.  His  greatest 
pride  was  pride  of  character — of  a  line  of  conduct  gov 
erned  by  the  rule  of  right,  and  the  principles  of  consci 
entious,  honorable  behavior — and  even  this  was  always 


122  THE   HEART   OF  THE   WEST. 

held  in  check  by  his  religious  feelings,  Christian  humility, 
and  charity  for  the  errors  of  others.  The  character  of 
his  wife  had  in  the  lapse  of  time  assimilated  greatly  with 
his  own.  The  impassioned  Spanish  girl  had  now 
become  the  staid  matron,  presiding  over  her  household 
with  kindness,  dignity  and  grace,  and  always  the  solace 
and  companion  of  her  husband,  leaning  on  him,  and  yet 
strengthening  his  strength,  and  aiding  to  purify  his  char 
acter  by  her  love. 

Having  now  sketched  these  two  families,  and  something 
of  this  most  highly  interesting  part  of  what  was  once 
known  as  the  southwest,  we  will  return  to  our  friends  on 
the  raft. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

;ITH  the  advancing  season,  the  voyage  on  the 
Upper  Mississippi  became  more  and  more 
pleasant  and  interesting,  and  to  the  Doctor, 
(accustomed  to  a  southern  climate)  the  greater  degree  of 
warmth  was  more  agreeable,  and  the  trip  more  and  more 
enjoyable  And  the  Doctor  did,  indeed,  find  very  great 
pleasure  in  these  quiet  days  and  nights,  floating  down 
the  noble  river.  But  it  was  not  an  idle,  listless,  sensual 
pleasure.  His  mind  was  occupied  with  profound  reflec 
tions,  (some  of  which  he  committed  to  writing)  and  from 
this  continual  pressure  of  thought,  reading  and  conversa 
tion  was  a  relief. 

As  for  Sydenham,  he  had  his  constant  round  of  duties 
in  managing  his  raft,  relieved  greatly,  however,  by  the 
enjoyment  of  the  scenery,  and  by  reading  and  conversa 
tion  with  his  friend,  (the- Doctor)  and  the  men  on  the  raft. 

But  that  was  a  period  when  thoughtful  men  feared 
national  trouble,  and  a  cloud  of  anxiety  for  the  political 
future  rested  upon  both  the  friends,  which,  although  they 
continually  reasoned  away,  would  return  whenever  they 
obtained  newspapers  from  the  passing  steamers,  and  saw 
reflected  there  indications  of  the  sectional  hatred  and 
party  passion  that  seemed  to  continually  increase.  .They 
talked  of  these  things  often,  in  the  quiet  nights  and  long 
and  calm  afternoons,  (never  in  anger)  but  the  future  they 
could  not  foresee  and  realize  And  happy  is  it  for  mortals 


124  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

that  the  future  is  unknown ;  that  the  coming  days  and 
months  and  years  are  curtained  from  our  view.  But 
while  not  one  hour  of  the  future  can  we  claim,  the  past  is 
all  our  own— that  is,  its  teachings  are  at  our  command ; 
its  wisdom  and  experience  are  the  store-houses  to  which 
we  may  always  resort.  Thus,  history  calls  us  back  from 
theories  that  we  fancy  new,  and  shows  us  their  counter 
part  in  the  dim  and  misty  past.  Science  does,  indeed, 
seem  to  progress  forward  in  many  things,  while  in  others 
it  moves,  as  it  were,  in  a  circle :  yet  who  shall  say  what 
arts  of  the  past  have  been  lost,  or  what  of  the  present 
may  not  be  ?  But,  however  this  may  be,  certain  it  is  that 
the  nature  of  man  does  not  change,  and  that  the  human 
heart  is,  to-day,  as  with  the  first  man  and  woman  created 
upon  the  planet.  The  vicissitudes  of  all  recorded  human 
history  show  the  perfect  correctness  through  thousands  of 
years,  and  up  to  the  present  hour,  of  the  delineation  of  man 
in  the  Revealed  Word.  And  there  is  not,  on  all  the  crags 
and  battlements  and  ruins  that  line  the  highway  of  the 
past,  in  all  the  world's  literature,  from  ^  Homer  down,  a 
hope  hung  out,  save  only  in  that  Word  and  in  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  that  shines  in  its  pure  effulgence  like  a  moun 
tain  of  diamonds  in  the  weary  'waste.  And  yet,  how 
frightfully  perverted;  what  crimes  have  been  committed; 
what  woes  heaped  upon  mankind  in  its  name.  Well 
might  Voltaire  scoff,  and  point  the  ringer  of  scorn  at  deeds 
done  in  the  name  of  Christianity  that  would  make  a 
Pagan  blush.  What  candid  student  of  the*past~will  deny 
this  ?  What  candid  and  unbiassed  student  of  the  present 
(if  any  such  there  be),  will  deny  its  follies,  sins,  hypocri- 
cies  and  dangers?  And,  greatest  of  all  its  dangers,  is 
HYPOCRISY  !  And  where  must  we  seek  the  path  of  truth 
and  safety?  This  world,  hung  in  the  'mighty  vault  of 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  125 

space,  was  not  left  without  laws  to  guide  its  flying  course, 
and  direct  its  diurnal  motion.  So  in  the  moral  world. 
Man,  created  the  highest  inhabitant  of  the  planet,  and  but 
a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  was  not  left  a  prey  to  his 
own  natural  passions  and  impulses;  left  a  free  agent,  his 
Creator  guided  him,  or  pointed  the  way.  The  awful  sub 
limity  cf  the  book  of  Genesis  can  only  be  rightly  appre 
ciated  by  rising  upon  the  wings  of  the  mind,  (the  imagin 
ation)  placing  ourselves  in  the  vast  realms  of  space,  and 
turning  our  eyes  upon  the  earth,  unfinished  and  crude; 
passing  through  those  wonderful  stages  until  creation  was 
finished  and  time  began,  and  the  first  pair,  in  their  glo 
rious  beauty,  stood  before  their  Creator  and  Lord.  Then 
began  the  contest  between  right  and  wrong;  between 
evil  and  good ;  between  a  little  knowledge  and  supreme 
wisdom ;  between  unrestrained  liberty  and  necessary  sub 
jection. 

The  period  of  man's  direct  intercourse  with  God  has 
indeed  passed,  but  his  word  remains;  the  record  and  the 
law  have  been  wonderfully  and  mysteriously  preserved. 
Left  through  God's  providence  in  the  hands  of  the  high 
est  races  of  men ;  and  now,  through  the  art  of  printing, 
steam  and  electricity,  with  all  the  aids  of  civilization,  art, 
and  human  power,  why  may  not  the  divine  guide  be 
distributed  through  and  adopted,  at  least  by  the  civilized 
Christian  world,  and  the  Gospel  be  received  by  the  nations 
in  sincerity?  Simply  because  man's  nature  is  prone  to 
err;  and  the  human  heart  is,  to-day,  as  in  that  of  the  first 
man,  and  worse;  for  his  little  stock  of  knowledge  has 
filled  his  heart;  has  made  him  now  wear  God's  word  as  a 
cloak,  under  which  he  sows  the  Devil's  seed,  and  calls  it 
"  law,"  or  u  liberty,"  as  will  best  suit  his  purpose.  This 
age  does  not  revere  God's  word,  nor  does  it  respect  the 


126  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

historic  annals  of  the  human  race.  Neither  the  teachings 
of  revelation  or  of  history  are  studied  or  respected  now 
by  the  masses,  or  by  a  majority  of  the  educated.  This  is 
the  age  of  the  theorist,  in  morals,  in  government,  in  re 
ligion. 

The  modern  preacher  seems  to  have  little  or  no  humil 
ity.  Unlike  St.  Paul,  who  feared  that  he  might,  at 
last  be  a  castaway,  the  modern  preacher  seems  to  have 
no  doubts,  no  humility;  on  the  contrary,  he  seems  to 
almost  feel  that  he  may,  himself,  prescribe  the  terms  of 
salvation.  He  does  not  so  much  insist  on  the  merit,  truth 
and  excellence  of  the  Gospel  itself,  as  the  truth  and  power 
of  his  own  deduction  therefrom.  Indeed,  though  he 
generally  patronizes  the  Bible,  he  feels  obliged,  sometimes, 
to  apologize  for  it,  especially  where  it  seems  to  conflict 
with  cherished  theories  of  his  own.  In  such  cases,  he 
generally  seeks  out  carefully,  and  presents  those  particular 
passages  that  seem  to  sustain  his  point ;  carefully  omitting, 
like  a  skillful  lawyer,  everything  that  makes  against  it. 
In  this  way  he  gains  credit  for  great  ability. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

had  now  left  Minnesota  behind,  and  were 
approaching  the  southern  confines  of  Wiscon 
sin,  having  the  State  of  Iowa  on  the  right,  or 
west  bank  of  the  river.  The  character  of  the  scenery  had 
changed,  the  hills  being  less  lofty.  At  Dunleith,  the 
north-west  corner  of  Illinois,  they  landed  for  the  first  time 
in  some  hundreds  of  miles.  From  this  point  a  great  line 
of  railway,  the  "Illinois  Central,"  leads  south-east  and 
then  south,  through  the  centre  of  the  State  to  Cairo,  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  At 
the  north  western  terminus  three  great  States  unite — Iowa, 
Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  so,  at  the  southern — Illinois,  Mis 
souri  and  Kentucky,  separated  only  by  the  width  of  the 
river.  This  great  work,  with  its  "  Chicago  Branch," 
leading  from  Centralia  to  Chicago,  in  all,  seven  hundred 
miles  in  length,  has  performed,  and  is  destined  to  perform 
a  most  important  part  in  the  development  of  all  the  vast 
country,  whose  wants  it  accommodates — a  splendid  tri 
umph  of  healthy  advancement  creditable  to  the  genius  of 
Rantoul,  the  statesmanship  of  Douglas,  to  the  State,  and 
the  west,  and  to  numerous  eminent  men  connected  with 
it.  The  first  great  and  complete  success  of  the  kind,  it 
has  been  most  fruitful  in  promoting  others,  and,  by  its 
successful  precedent,  and  the  connections  offered  by  its 
completed  trunks,  aiding  greatly  in  the  establishment  of 
that  great  and  extended  system  of  railways  which  now 


128  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

penetrates  and  interlocks  these  vast  areas  of  the  west — the 
heart  of  the  continent. 

After  a  few  hours  in  Dunleith,  and  Dubuque,  which 
lies  just  opposite,  on  the  Iowa  side  of  the  river,  they 
shoved  off  and  proceeded  on  their  voyage.  Just  before 
they  started,  a  passenger  came  on  board  who  wished  to 
go  down  the  river  a  few  miles  to  a  point  near  Galena,  111., 
where  he  resided.  The  Doctor  and  he  were  soon  enjoy 
ing  a  smoke  together,  and  a  pleasant  acquaintance,  west 
ern  fashion,  was  soon  established  between  the  stranger, 
Doctor  Ross  and  Sydenham.  He  had  been  an  officer  in 
the  U.  S.  Army,  was  educated  at  West  Point,  and  had 
served  in  the  Mexican  war.  The  conversation  turned 
upon  politics,  and  he  expressed  his  preference  for  Douglas 
for  the  Presidency  in  the  ensuing  fall  election,  and  his 
fears  of  the  future  if  he  should  be  defeated.  He  also 
expressed,  in  strong  terms,  condemnation  of  the  radicals 
of  both  sections.  To  while  away  the  time,  the  Doctor 
produced  a  pack  of  cards,  and  a  few  social  games  of  euchre 
were  played ;  but  there  was  no  betting.  Soon  they  arrived 
at  the  landing  for  Galena,  and  Sydenham  sent  his  skiff 
out  to  land  his  passenger,  with  whom  they  parted  with 
mutual  expressions  of  friendly  regard.  How  wild  a  dream 
would  then  have  seemed  the  events  in  which  this  man 
was  to  play  so  important  a  part  in  the  near  future. 

For  nearly  six  hundred  miles  now  (as  the  river  flows,) 
it  bounds  the  State  of  Illinois  upon  the  west,  while  Iowa 
and  Missouri  are  upon  the  opposite  side.  At  this  time 
there  were  not  so  many  railroad  bridges  crossing  the  river 
to  accommodate  the  great  lines  stretching  westward,  as  at 
present;  but  at  Rock  Island  there  was  one  that  was  an 
object  of  some  dread  to  steamboatmen,  and  of  great  dread 
to  raftsmen,  many  serious  accidents  having  happened 


THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST.  129 

there.  Sydenham  had  never  passed  through  this  bridge, 
and  naturally  felt  much  anxiety  about  it.  Seth  Lane,  his 
pilot,  had  passed  it  a  few  times,  and  had  once  struck  the 
pier,  damaging  his  raft.  From  Galena  down,  the  bridge 
and  its  passage  was  uppermost  in  the  thoughts  and  con 
versation  of  all  on  the  raft.  Arrived  near  the  head  of  the 
rapids,  the  wind  blowing  rather  hard,  the  raft  was  moored 
to  the  bank  until  it  snould  subside.  The  next  morning  at 
daybreak,  the  wind  having  gone  down,  the  lines  were 
cast  off  and  preparations  made  for  "  running  the  rapids," 
and  "  shooting  the  bridge." 

This  bridge  having  been  a  subject  of  great  controversy 
between  the  river  men  and  railroad  men  of  the  west,  and 
also  between  the  cities  of  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  (the  one 
the  river,  and  the  other  the  railroad  metropolis)  a  brief 
description  of  it  may  not  be  uninteresting;  and  it  is  inter 
esting  because  it  is  the  Jlrst  bridge  that  ever  spanned  the 
"  Father  of  Floods." 

From  the  Illinois  shore  to  the  island  there  is  a  causeway. 
The  bridge  proper,  then,  is  built  across  the  main  channel 
of  the  Mississippi,  from  Rock  Island  to  the  Iowa  shore, 
There  is,  at  this  point,  a  rocky  ledge  or  "chain,"  extend 
ing  across  the  bed  of  the  river,  known  to  river  men  as 
the  "  foot"  of  the  Upper  Rapids  of  the  Mississippi.  On 
this  the  bridge  is  built.  The  rapids  extend  from  about 
two  miles  below  Port  Byron,  (some  twenty  miles  above) 
to  this  point,  and  throughout  this  extent  the  current  of  the 
river  is  very  swift;  and  when  the  water  is  at  a  low  stage, 
there  are  some  dangerous  places.  The  bridge  is  built  of 
wood  on  stone  piers,  with  a  draw  resting  on  a  round  cen 
tral  pier  on  which  it  is  made  to  turn.  When  turned,  the 
open  space  for  the  passage  of  steamers,  &c.,  is  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet.  There  is,  also,  a  frame  work  of  timber 


130  THE    HEART   OF  THE   WEST. 

extending  up  and  down  from  the  central  and  side  piers  of 
the  draw  for  the  protection  both  of  the  bridge  and  passing 
vessels;  and,  as  piles  could  not  be  driven,  this  is  fastened 
to  the  rocky  bottom.  In  this,  it  is  said,  the  engineer  made 
a  mistake,  in  not  studying  the  current  sufficiently,  and 
getting  these  guards  exactly  parallel  with  the  central  line 
of  current.  Certain  it  is,  many  accidents  occurred  here, 
until  this  was  remedied ;  and  from  these  rose  much  litiga 
tion  for  damages,  contention  and  bitterness.  Perhaps 
neither  side  were  sufficiently  considerate  of  the  rights  of 
the  other.  The  utility  of  railroads  and  the  necessity  of 
bridging  navigable  rivers  is  not  to  be  questioned ;  but  the 
RIVERS  AND  LAKES  are  the  people's  highways,  and,  in 
the  language  of  the  truly  great  statesman  of  1789,  should 
be  "  forever  free." 

The  river  men,  then,  very  properly  were  jealous  of  any 
obstruction  to  the  navigation  of  the  river,  and  the  railroad 
men,  with  equal  propriety,  insisted  that  railroad  bridges 
must  be~built  to  accommodate  the  great  lines  to  be  ex 
tended  west.  These  views  on  both  sides  were  just  and 
reasonable,  and  perfectly  capable  of  being  harmonized 
and  reconciled,  as  are  many  other  dogmas  that  seem  to 
conflict;  but  of  course  there  were  in  this,  as  in  other  great 
questions,  many  extremists,  radicals  and  irreconcilables  on 
both  sides :  hence  the  trouble, — expensive  and  hurtful  to 
every  interest  save  the  lawyers  engaged. 

As  we  have  said,  our  raftsmen  cast  off  their  line  at  the 
head  of  the  rapids,  some  twenty  miles  above,  at  the  first 
grey  of  morning,  and  soon  found  themselves  in  much 
swifter  water  than  they  had  yet  found.  On  right  merrily 
they  glided,  rapidly  passing  trees,  bluffs  and  other  land 
marks.  The  river  was  now  up,  the  high  water  remov- 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  131 

ing  all  apprehension  of  sunken  rocks;  the  bridge  was  the 
only  cause  of  solicitude. 

"  If  we  had  such  a  stream  as  this,"  said  the  Doctor, 
"  all  the  way,  we  would  soon  reach  Louisiana." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  laughing,  u  but  it  would  take 
me  a  long  time  to  get  back,  and  steamboating  would  then 
be  a  slower  business  than  rafting." 

"  I  do  n't  think  we  could  alter  or  change  the  works  of 
nature  so  as  to  make  an  improvement,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  No,"  said  one  of  the  men  (Sandy)  "  but  the  Akansaw 
man,  running  for  office,  told  his  constituents  that  if  they 
would  only  elect  him  to  Congress  he  would  try;  that  he 
would  unscrew  all  creation,  take  it  apart,  clean  it  and  put 
it  together  again." 

"  That,"  said  the  Doctor,  "would  seem  to  bear  some 
resemblance  to  the  ancient  fable  of  the  presumptuous 
youth  who  would  drive  the  chariot  of  the  sun,  instead  of 
Apollo." 

"  It  will  do  for  a  kind  of  Americanization  of  the  old 
fable,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and  should  be  set  down  in  the 
Arkansas  classics." 

"  Seriously,'  said  the  Doctor,  "  some  people  will  not 
grow  wiser  by  experience,  and  have  done  with  vagaries; 
for  many  popular  fancies  do  not  even  come  up  to  the  dig 
nity  of  theories.  They  are  vagaries,  and  vagaries  only, 
morbid,  diseased  and  unhealthy." 

"  Were  wagons  a  thing  of  which  the  people  had  only 
heard  and  read,  and  heard  explained  and  discussed,  I 
think  it  by  no  means  certain  that  it  would  be  generally 
agreed  that  four  wheels  was  the  proper  number.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  there  would  be  found  a  large  party  advo 
cating  the  advantages  of  six  wheels,  another  in  favor  of 


132  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

five,  and  still  another  in  favor  of  having  only  three  wheels 
to  a  wagon." 

After  the  laughter  occasioned  by  this  sally  had  subsided, 
the  Doctor  continued : 

"  Moreover,  I  have  no  doubt  that  as  good  arguments 
and  as  much  eloquence  would  be  displayed  by  either  the 
six,  five,  or  three-wheeled  party  as  by  that  in  favor  of  four 
wheels;  and,  though  it  should  be  shown  by  the  four- 
wheeled  party  that  the  other  vehicles  had  been  tried  in 
some  remote  part  of  the  world,  several  thousand  years 
ago,  and  had  failed,  yet  nothing  short  of  a  full  and  thor 
ough  trial  would  satisfy  them  to  the  contrary  of  their 
opinions." 

"  The  first  trial,  however,  would  end  the  matter,"  said 
one  of  the  listeners. 

"I  think  not,"  said  the  Doctor,  with  a  smile.  "  We  will 
suppose  that  before  any  were  tried  the  whole  subject  had 
been  agitated  for  a  time.  The  speculator  is  only  a  step 
behind  the  theorist,  and  sometimes  even  gets  ahead.  Be 
fore  any  trial  could  be  entirely  conclusive  and  generally 
admitted  to  be  so,  there  would  be  no  village,  town  or  city, 
where  some  one  would  not  be  interested  in  the  pecuniary 
way  in  the  success  of  the  new  vehicles,  and,  long  after  four 
wheels  had  won  the  day,  in  the  larger  towns,  three  and 
five-wheeled  vehicles  would  be  the  style  in  the  remote 
settlements  of  Iowa  and  Kansas,  and  even  the  pavements 
of  Boston  and  other  large  cities  would  long  resound  with 
the  odd  numbers  driven  by  some  plucky  speculators  in 
those  machines,  who  would  not  give  it  up." 

"That  would  be  called  an  extreme  view,"  said  Sydenham. 

"I  saw  ship-loads  of  things  sent  to  California,"  said 
one  of  the  men,  "  that  were  of  no  more  use  than  the  fifth 
wheel  to  a  wagon." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  133 

"  Not  so  much,"  said  another  listener,  "  for  the  fifth 
wheel  might  be  taken  along  as  an  extra,  and  used  in  case 
one  of  the  others  break  down,  whereas  no  possible  use 
could  be  made  of  hundreds  of  contrivances  we  saw  in 
California  in  '49  and  '50,  sent  there  from  Boston." 

The  attention  of  all  hands  was  now  called  to  \some 
work  on  the  raft,  and  the  conversation  ceased.  The  raft 
dashed  swiftly  along,  while  Sydenham  and  the  pilot  talked 
of  the  passage  of  the  bridge.  Soon  they  came  in  sight 
of  it;  a  long  train  from  Chicago,  bound  westward,  was 
just  entering  upon  the  causeway  from  the  Illinois  shore. 
It  rolled  onward,  and  soon  more  than  thirty  cars  followed 
the  iron  horse  out  over  the  rapid  river.  It  was  a  grand 
sight,  and  all  looked  upon  it  intently ;  the  outlines  of  the 
train,  locomotive  and  its  cloud  of  smoke  cut  sharply 
against  the  sky  beyond.  Viewed  from  the  raft,  right 
upon  the  surface  of  the  river  above,  the  sight  was  more 
striking  than  from  any  other  point.  Soon  it  reached  the 
Iowa  shore;  and  now  all  were  absorbed  with  another 
passage,  and  to  them  more  important.  Sydenham  stood 
by  the  side  of  the  pilot :  not  a  word  was  spoken  while  the 
rushing  flood  hurried  them  on.  Now  they  are  close  to  the 
bridge — now  under  it — now  clear — not  yet;  the  stern  is 
drawn  by  the  mighty  current  toward  the  pier,  and  all  the 
efforts  of  the  men  cannot  prevent  a  collision.  It  strikes 
and  grates  sharply;  boards  are  broken  and  some  torn  out, 
but  now  they  are  clear  below  the  bridge  and  the  rapid ; 
the  raft  is  not  broken  or  much  damaged.  Now  bend  to 
the  sweeps  to  clear  her  of  the  eddy  on  the  Illinois  side. 
Soon  this  is  passed;  then  all  breathe  freely,  and  go  to 
work  to  repair  damages.  Some  lumber  is  gone  and  some 
displaced  and  broken,  and  Sydenham  is  advised  to  make 
his  claim  for  damages  against  the  railroad  company,  but 


134  THK    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

well  aware  of  the  delay,  difficulty,  annoyance  and  ex 
pense  of  this  resort,  he  prefers  not  to  do  so;  thinks  it 
cheaper  to  lose  it. 

Davenport,  Iowa,  and  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  both  line 
little  cities,  are  soon  passed,  and  hy  afternoon  the  raft  has 
become  quiet  and  monotonous  as  usual. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

>HE  general  course  of  the  river  which,  from  Lake 
Pepin,  and,  indeed,  from  a  point  far  above  the 
falls  of  St.  Anthony,  is  south-easterly,  changes 
near  Savannah,  Illinois,  to  a  more  southerly  course,  which 
it  holds  past  the  towns  of  Fulton,  Lyons  and  Clinton, 
then  south-westerly,  then  south  to  about  the  head  of  the 
rapids,  from  whence  to  Muscatine  it  runs  almost  west: 
then  a  sharp  angle,  and  it  runs  almost  south  to  Port 
Louisa;  thence  it  bears  east,  then  south  to  Oquowka, 
thence  southwesterly,  past  Burlington,  Fort  Madison  and 
other  places  to  Nauvoo  and  Montrose,  thence  south  to 
Keokuk,  at  the  foot  of  what  is  known  as  the  lower  rapids. 
Here  it  receives  a  large  tributary  from  Iowa,  Des  Moines 
river,  and  between  here  and  Quincy  reaches  its  most 
westerly  point  of  the  great  bend  to  the  west,  giving  the 
State  of  Illinois  here  its  greatest  breadth.  From  this 
point  it  flows  south-easterly  until  a  few  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois,  when  it  turns  and  runs  a  north 
easterly  course  to  the  point  of  junction,  where  it  receives 
the  quiet  waters  of  that  river,  when  it  again  pursues  a 
south-easterly  course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri.  The 
union  of  these  great  rivers  entirely  changes  the  character 
of  the  Mississippi.  For  some  distance  its  waters  do  not 
mingle  with  the  tide  waters  of  the  Missouri,  but  keep 
to  the  Illinois  side,  as  though  shunning  the  embrace.  At 
last,  however,  the  whole  volume  of  waters  becomes  charged 
with  the  earthy  water,  never  again  to  become  clear  until 


136  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

far  out  upon  and  mingled  with   the  deep  waters  of  the 
great  sea. 

The  Upper  Mississippi,  although  having  these  graceful 
curves  and  bends,  which  are  its  ,"  lines  of  beauty,"  is  by 
no  means  a  crooked  river,  as  compared  with  its  course 
below  the  junction  with  the  Missouri,  from  which 
point,  though  swiftly  going  southerly  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  it  seems  to  be  continually  turning  around,  as 
though  the  "  Father  of  Waters"  was  engaged  in  a  waltz. 
Searching  its  way  through  the  deep,  rich,  alluvial  bottoms, 
changing  its  channel,  filling  up  in  a  single  season  on  one 
side  with  vast  sandy  deposits,  while  removing  solid  acres 
(covered  with  great  trees)  upon  the  other  side,  thus  con 
tinually  changing  its  borders  and  channel,  yet,  after  all, 
remaining  unchanged  in  all  its  essential  characteristics, 
typifying  the  changes  of  matter  and  of  spirit,  while  strug 
gling  with  the  finite  on  its  way  toward  the  infinite,  and 
at  last  to  be  poured  into  the  great  ocean  of  eternity ;  yet 
never  to  be  lost.  Thus  the  great  river  rolls  its  waters 
toward  the  sea. 

But  we  are  still  between  the  upper  and  lower  rapids, 
and  .must  not  get  ahead  of  our  time,  on  the  great  float 
which  now  bears  us  onward.  Of  the  river-towns  which 
we  have  passed  and  are  now  passing,  many  are  very  hand 
some  and  thriving,  and  much  of  the  country  is  in  some 
places  well  improved,  and  adorned  with  neat  and  hand 
some  homes,  but  yet  the  country  contiguous  to  the  river 
is  not  esteemed  so  rich  or  favorable  for  agriculture  as  that 
further  back.  The  bottom  lands  are,  of  course,  rich,  but 
of  this  a  great  part  is  in  forest,  and  subject  to  overflow. 
The  great  agricultural  wealth  is  in  the  prairies,  back  of 
the  broken  and  comparatively  poor  lands  of  the  river 
bluffs.  These  bluff  lands,  however,  are  in  many  places 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  13^ 

esteemed  good ;  indeed,  in  some  places  very  superior  for 
the  culture  of  fruit,  grapes,  &c.  Coal  is  generally  abund 
ant  and  easily  accessible.  Stone  is  also  generally  conven 
ient,  and  abundant  for  building  purposes,  and  there  are 
many  quarries  of  very  superior  quality.  At  the  rapids 
there  is  a  large  waterpower  which  at  Moline  is  extensively 
used. 

The  metropolitan  expectations  of  early  days,  before  it 
was  known  what  railroads  would  do  for  Chicago  (by 
concentration)  have  hardly  been  realized  by  the  Upper 
Mississippi  river  towns;  yet  it  is  a  desirable  region,  pos 
sessing  varied  advantages  and  resources,  and  will  yet 
become  the  classic  ground  of  America. 

The  Hudson  has  now  its  day,  and  its  beauty  will  not 
soon  fade,  or  its  fame  be  diminished ;  it  will  continue  to 
be  the  gem  of  the  east,  but  not  of  America;  its  location 
and  limited  extent  will  not  admit  of  that.  The  Missis 
sippi  is  our  national  river,  and  its  shores  will  be  our  classic 
ground.  Moreover,  it  will  be  anti- sectional  ground,  and 
its  literature  will  help  to  extirpate  those  twin  dragons  of 
the  past,  sectionalism  and  fanaticism,  and  prepare  the  way 
for  that  charity  and  truth  which  is  alone  able  to  aid  in  the 
evangelization  of  the  world. 

Floating  onward  toward  the  west,  the  raft  was  making- 
good  time ;  but  our  friends  had  had  no  papers  for  some  days, 
and  were  anxious  to  learn  the  political  news.  A  steamer 
hove  in  sight,  and  as  she  passed  close  to  them  they  hailed 
her  and  heard  the  news  of  the  nomination  of  Lincoln  for 
the  Presidency  by  the  convention  of  the  Republican  party 
at  Chicago.  At  Muscatine  they  sent  the  skiff  ashore  and 
obtained  the  late  papers,  giving  all  that  had  transpired, 
and  with  the  examination  of  these  we  will  leave  them  for 
the  night. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

>HE  next  day  the  conversation  very  naturally 
turned  upon  the  convention  at  Chicago,  and  its 
action,  and  both  the  friends  agreed  in  expressing 
regret  that  Edward  Bates,  (the  choice  of  Horace  Greeley) 
had  not  been  nominated  instead  of  Lincoln. 

"  Few  leaders,  said  the  Doctor,  "  can  resign  into  the 
hands  ot  others  political  movements  that  have  occupied 
their  minds  for  years,  and  see  them  perfectly  comprehended 
by  men  who  have  not  shared  that  leadership.  Seward 
and  Greeley  are  political  leaders,  who  have  formed  the 
Republican  party,  and  who  doubtless  have  a  plan  that  is 
harmonious  and  practical  for  neutralizing  the  errors  of 
southern  propagandists  (the  extremists,  and  frequently  the 
worst  demagogues  that  we  have  in  the  south,)  and  they 
can  the  better  do  this,  as  they  are  not  themselves  consid 
ered  the  extremists  of  their  party.  Doubtless  these  men 
realize  that  time  will  make  the  slavery  problem  easier  of 
solution,  and  Greeley  saw  in  Bates  an  able,  popular  and 
conservative  man,  who,  if  elected,  would  allay  rather  than 
increase  the  excitement,  and  leave  his  party,  at  the  end  of 
his  term,  stronger  than  he  found  it — strong  enough  to  carry 
the  next  election.  Seward,  doubtless,  is  ambitious,  and 
wanted  the  nomination,  and  his  election  would  not  cause 
half  the  excitement  that  would  that  of  Lincoln ;  for  he  is 
better  known.  Thousands  of  conservative,  reflecting  men 
of  culture,  in  the  south,  have  waited  and  watched  the  rise 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  139 

of  the  new  party  in  the  north,  to  see  into  whose  hands 
its  destinies  would  fall.  They  respect  Bates,  and  would 
not  greatly  fear  Seward,  but  they  have  no  confidence  in 
Lincoln,  and,  with  all  his  plausibility,  consider  him  the 
representative  of  Radicalism,  and  not  a  sound  constitu 
tion^  man." 

"  Has  not  his  position  been  misrepresented  ?"  said  Syd- 
enham. 

"  Perhaps  it  has,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  yet  he  has  assumed 
the  full  panoply  of  the  abolitionists,  when  he  says  that  '  the 
country  cannot  exist  part  slave  and  part  free,  but  must  be 
come  all  one,  or  all  the  other/  and  that  '  slavery  must  be 
placed  in  process  of  extinction/  This  means  revolution, 
and  its  effect  is  not  removed  by  assurances  that  c  the  exist 
ing  institutions  of  the  south  are  not  to  be  disturbed.'  They 
say  they  like  Giddings  and  Lovejoy  better,  for  they  know 
where  to  find  them." 

"How  will  your  radicals,  the  secessionists,  like  it?" 
said  Sydenham. 

"  The  worst  of  them  will  be  well  suited,  for  it  will  tend 
to  make  them  and  their  position  stronger  and  more  popu 
lar,"  said  the  Doctor. 

Here  the  friends  sat  some  time  in  silence,  each  engaged 
in  his  own  sad  reflections. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  clause  in  their  platform 
from  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  declaring  that  all 
men  are  created  free  and  equal  ?"  enquired  the  Doctor. 

"  Why,"  said  Sydenham,  "  as  applied  to  the  question 
to  which  alone  it  was  intended  to  apply  when  written, 
justifying  the  colonies  as  against  England,  I  think  it  cor 
rect  and  true,  but  as  now  sought  to  be  applied  by  a  polit 
ical  party,  I  consider  it  nothing  but  a  piece  of  arrant 
demagoguism,  and  doubt  whether  three  men  in  theconven- 


140  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

tion  believed  it  a  month  ago.  Partisanship  may  yet  make 
them  claim  its  infallibility  as  it  did  make  the  other  party 
claim  the  infallibility  of  the  dogma  of  'popular  sover 
eignty/  " 

"What  a  great  cable  of  truth  could  be  made  of  all 
these  various  strands  of  dogma,  were  as  much  pains  taken 
to  harmonize  and  blend  them  into  one  as  there  is  to 
maintain  their  separate  infallibility,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  Parties  rest  their  claims  for  office  and  political  power 
upon  the  maintenance  of  their  political  dogmas,"  said 
Sydenham. 

"  We  once  had  men  who  could  rise  to  a  higher  plane 
than  this,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  Washington  and  a  few  of 
the  great  ones  of  the  revolution  could,  and  the  result, 
under  God,  was  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Constitution, 
and  a  form  of  government  that  has  commanded  the  ad 
miration  of  the  world." 

"  You  are  indeed  correct,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  there  was 
displayed  the  most  conscientious  discharge  of  duty,  com 
manding  intellect,  and  practical  patriotism — patriotism 
large  enough  to  extinguish  sectionalism,  and  pure  enough 
to  restrain  ambition.  How  lofty  was  the  eulogium  of 
Lord  Brougham :  *  '  While  time  lasts  the  measure  of  the 
progress  of  the  nations  of  the  world,  in  civil  government 
and  true  liberty,  will  be  indicated  by  their  regard  for  the 
memory  and  example  of  Washington.'  " 

"  And  why,"  said  Sydenham,  "cannot  we  now  have  a 
'  National  Constitutional  Convention,'  to  settle  all  these 
vexed  questions  of '  free  £*il,'  'territorial  rights,'  the  'fugi 
tive  slave  law,'  and  all  other  distracting  questions  that  are 


*NoTB. — This  quotation  is  from  memory,  possibly  not  literal,  but  correct  in 
substance. 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  141 

beyond  the  power  of  Congress,  the  States,  or  the  people. 
Such  a  convention  is  expressly  provided  for  in  the  Con 
stitution  itself,  is  in  harmony  with  the  whole  theory  and 
structure  cf  our  government;  with  the  opinions  of  Jeffer 
son,  the  recommendations  of  Washington  in  his  farewell 
address,  with  the  Christian  religion,  with  sound  political 
philosophy,  and  with  plain  common  sense." 

"  That  is  all  true ;  and  yet  that  resort  has  been  scarcely 
named  by  our  statesmen,  so-called,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"I  have  heard  it  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to 
hold  such  a  convention  once  every  twenty-five  years," 
said  the  other. 

"  Perhaps  it  might,"  said  the  Doctor,  "were  we  to  begin 
now;  but  the  spirit  of  innovation  has  been  too  strong, 
and  it  might  have  increased  it;  but  were  we  to  begin 
now,  it  would  be  different.  Twenty-five  years,  now,  is  as 
much  as  fifty  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution,  in  hurrying  us  onward  to  error  or  truth,  as 
the  case  may  be.  The  people  respect  the  prerogatives  of 
the  Federal  Government,  as  conferred  by  the  Constitu 
tion,  and  very  properly  are  jealous  of  infringements  upon 
the  rights  of  the  people  or  of  the  States.  If  the  temper 
and  disposition  of  the  people  is  right,  all  necessary  re 
forms  can  be  carried  through  at  all  proper  times  by  Con 
stitutional  Conventions,  if  only  men  are  sent  as  delegates 
who  will  not  sacrifice  earth  and  heaven  to  their  ambition. 
Should  the  fearful  calamity  of  civil  war  now  result,  pos 
terity  will  fix  the  responsibility  of  it  upon  the  politicians, 
Congress  and  the  party-leaders,  as  well  as  upon  the 
extremists  of  both  sections." 

u  Yet,"  said  Sydenham,  "  we  already  have  some  men  who 
talk  lightly  and  glibly  of  war,  as  though  it  were  some- 


142  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

times  a  pure  fountain  of  great  good — a  kind  of  healthful 
renovator. " 

"  It  is  only  a  great  evil,  growing  directly  out  of  the 
depravity  of  human  nature;  yet,  sometimes  it  becomes  a 
hard  necessity,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"  Were  the  principles  of  Christianity  adhered  to  by  the 
nations  professing  it,  wars  would  cease,"  said  the  other. 

u  Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  terminate  hypocrisy  and  you 
end  wars." 

"  And  were  this  done  what  vast  armaments  and  bound 
less  expense  could  be  saved — enough  to  banish  poverty 
and  extirpate  crime,"  replied  Sydenham,  with  enthusiasm., 

"  You  cannot  banish  poverty  until  you  restrain  avarice, 
said  the  Doctor,  "  and  covetousness." 

"  No,"  said  the  raftsman,  u  and  avarice  is  regarded  in 
America  as  a  cardinal  virtue — especially  successful  avarice." 

"  That  is  due,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  in  part  to  the  seeming 
need  in  a  new  country  of  the  concentrated  power  of 
wealth  to  develop  its  resources;  but  capital,  though  a 
good  servant,  becomes  a  bad  master,  and  sometimes  a 
tyrant  and  robber  ;vand,  sheltered  behind  its  legal  preroga 
tive,  sucks  out  the  life-blood  of  the  embarrassed  and  the 
poor,  and,  so  establishes  and  perpetuates  misery  and  degra 
dation." 

"  How  firmly  in  the  very  foundation  of  and  throughout 
the  superstructure  of  the  Bible,  the  adamantine  princi 
ples  of  truth  are  laid,  and  how  solid  a  foundation  for  a 
law-giver  or  legislator  are  the  commandments  of  the 
decalogue,"  said  Sydenham. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and  did  the  entire  world 
accept  them  in  completeness  and  sincerity,  together  with 
those  added  by  our  Savior,  it  could  afford  to  dispense  with 
an  immense  assortment  of  legal  machinery." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  143 

"  We  would,  however,  need  the  Savior  himself  to 
administer  it — the  divine  law,"  said  Sydenham. 

"Undoubtedly,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "for  I  would 
sooner  risk  the  lawyers  than  the  priests  in  civil  affairs." 

"This  goes  to  show  the  logical  consistency  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  millenium,"  said  Sydenham,  who  now 
rose  to  make  preparations  for  running  the  Lower  Rapids, 
which  they  were  now  swiftly  approaching. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

'HESE  rapids,  unimpeded  as  they  were  by  any 
artificial  structures,  were  not  regarded  with 
apprehension,  as  the  water  was  high  and  the  rocks 
were  well  covered.  The  rushing  river  bore  them  swiftly 
onward,  and  soon  Keokuk,  the  "  Gate  City,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapids,  was  in  sight.  This  fine  little  city,  having  the 
beautiful  and  rich  Des  Moines  Valley  at  its  back,  as  it 
were,  and  the  Mississippi,  with  its  channel  unbroken  by 
any  more  rapids,  giving  it  a  fine  outlet  to  St.  Louis  and 
the  south,  is,  and  will  always  be,  an  important  business 
point.  Being  on  the  west,  or  Iowa  side,  it  does  not  at  all 
interfere  with  its  stately  and  beautiful  Illinois  sister,  Qiiincy, 
which  is  seated  upon  the  other  side,  some  forty  miles  below. 
It  is  between  these  that  the  river,  as  we  have  said,  makes 
its  most  westerly  sweep  or  curve  to  the  west.  Just  below 
Keokuk,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines,  is  the  south 
western  extremity  of  the  State  of  Iowa.  Then  begins 
the  State  of  Missouri,  which  we  now  have  upon  our  right 
for  full  five  hundred  miles — a  great  State,  indeed,  and  pos 
sessed  of  vast  resources.  Entering  the  great  family  of  the 
United  States  at  about  the  same  period  as  her  sister  State, 
Illinois,  she  has  not  gained  so  great  a  population.  Corn, 
the  leading  staple  of  Illinois,  with  its  products,  beef,  pork, 
etc.,  etc.,  was  wanted  first;  but  the  time  is  close  at  hand 
when  iron  must  be  produced  from  the  ores  of  Missouri, 
on  a  vast  scale,  in  quantities  as  yet  scarce  dreamted  of; 
and  then  will  come  her  day. 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  145 

These  two  States,  centrally  located  as  they  are,  not  with 
reference  to  territory  merely,  but  to  the  position  of  naviga 
ble  waters,  the  system  of  railroads,  great  cities,  commercial 
centres,  and  the  direction  and  concentration  of  population 
and  wealth,  must  exercise  a  great  influence  in  times  to 
come  upon  the  destinies  of  America.  Both  great  in  terri 
torial  extent,  they  are  far  greater  in  exhaustless  resources, 
in  minerals  as  well  as  in  productive  soil.  In  this  last,  as 
Illinois  excels  in  her  number  of  acres  of  rich  land,  so 
Missouri  excels  in  greater  diversity  of  valuable  products. 
Illinois  has  unlimited  stores  of  coal,  Missouri  of  iron. 
Placed  in  juxtaposition,  these  staples  will  be  combined, 
and  an  iron-working  business  be  developed  surpassing  in 
magnitude  anything  yet  seen  in  America.  True  national 
economy  demands  that  this  be  done;  and  if  the  "manufac 
turer  and  the  agriculturist"  cannot  be  "placed  side  by  side," 
they  can  and  should  be  brought  nearer  together,  and  so 
the  immense  waste  of  transportation  be  diminished,  and 
increase  of  wealth  follow,  rne  railroads,  and  all  the  vast 
interior  demand  for  iron,  should  be  supplied  from  western 
furnaces  and  mills;  and,  by  this  means,  that  commerce 
which  increases  wealth  will  flow  through  the  land  in  strong 
and  healthy  pulsations.  Agriculture  and  manufactures 
can  thus  be  established  on  a  basis  more  stable  than  has  yet 
been  known,  and  political  health  will  be  promoted. 

No  single  nation  in  Europe,  except  Russia,  has  greater 
resources  than  these  two  States  alone,  of  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi.  Well  might  De  Tocqueville  say: 
"The  valley  of  the  Mississippi  is,  upon  the  whole,  the  most 
magnificent  dwelling-place  prepared  by  God  for  man's 
abode."  But,  without  a  wise  and  just  management  of 
public  affairs,  and  the  maintenance  of  public  virtue,  these 
resources  cannot  be  developed  fully,  and,  if  they  were,  it 


146  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

would  not  be  for  the  general  welfare.  The  quiet  life 
upon  the  raft,  with  the  tranquil  enjoyment  of  the  interest 
ing  natural  scenery,  adorned  by  farms,  dwellings,  fine 
towns  and  palatial  residences,  beautiful  steamers  in  sight 
almost  every  hour,  and  occasional  railway  trains,  made 
the  friends  disposed  to  contrast  the  scene  with  that  pre 
sented  to  the  first  white  explorers. 

"  These  scenes  are  beautiful,  and  indicate  increasing 
wealth,  power  and  advancing  civilization,  do  they  not, 
Doctor?"  said  Sydenham,  as  they  were  floating  quietly 
along  in  sight  of  Quincy. 

"  They  do,  indeed,"  said  the  Doctor,  "and  most  interest 
ing  and  beautiful  to  look  upon;  but  you  must  not  think 
me  cynical  if  I  say  there  is  danger  under  this  beautiful 
exterior." 

"  From  what  source  ?  "  enquired  Sydenham. 

"  From  the  love  of  wealth,  luxury  and  display,"  replied 
the  Doctor.  ~ 

"And  yet,  as  human  nature  is  constituted,  we  could  not 
afford  to  abolish  these,"  replied  Sydenham;  "  and,  if  we 
'  appeal  to  history,'  it  would  be  hard  to  show  that  Sparta 
did  as  much  for  the  world  as  Athens." 

"  We  must  learn  from  both,"  said  the  Doctor.  "  A 
Christian  nation  should  be  able  to  improve  upon  both, — as 
we  do  in  some  things,  though  not  in  all.  Little  Sparta, 
by  her  virtue,  temperance,  valor,  abnegation  of  wealth  and 
luxury,  self-denying  patriotism  and  steadfast  adherence  to 
her  institutions  and  laws,  maintained  her  proud  integrity 
for  five  hundred  years,  in  glorious  contrast  with  the  des 
potism,  luxury, corruption  and  crime  of  the  eastern  nations; 
and  her  example  has  been  most  useful  to  mankind, — a  fine 
national  illustration  of  many  most  solid  virtues  that  never 
have  been  and  never  will  be  surpassed." 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  147 

"  And  how  of  Athens?"  enquired  Sydenham. 

"  I  do  not  think,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  it  could  be  cor 
rectly  claimed  that  she  encouraged  a  love  of  wealth,  luxu 
ry,  or  display;  but  she  did  encourage  and  cherish  a  love  of 
the  beautiful,  in  art,  literature  and  oratory.  The  power, 
originality  and  force  of  her  genius  never  has  been  surpassed ; 
the  worn  and  broken  ruins  of  her  art  are  now  our  models, 
the  remains  of  her  literature  our  examples,  and  her  philos 
ophy  the  delight  of  all  philosophers.  In  science,  her  foot 
steps  were  sure  as  far  as  she  progressed,  and  the  most 
eminent  surgeons  to-day  read  Hypocrates  with  pleasure 
and  advantage.  Yet  with  all  this  love  of  the  beautiful, 
the  perfect,  the  complete  and  the  true,  and  of  success  in 
their  attainment,  avarice  was  looked  upon,  spoken  of  and 
recorded  as  a  "  disgusting  vice,"  and  luxury  was  discour 
aged  as  was  the  amassing  of  private  wealth." 

"  Doubtless  you  are  quite  right,"  said  Sydenham.  "  In 
these  things,  and  in  many  others,  we  can  and  should  learn 
much  from  them,  not  only  in  the  things  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  but  in  politics  and  in  political  dangers." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  any  republic  from  now  until 
the  millenium  can  and  should  learn  by  the  example  of  the 
ancient  republics  to  guard  against  danger  from  ambitious 
demagogues,  from  violent  partisanship,  from  sectional 
feuds  and  jealousies,  from  the  love  of  military  pomp  and 
conquest,  from  too  rapid  acquisition  of  territory,  from  the 
secret  intrigues  of  monarchies,  and,  greatest  of  all,  from 
civil  war." 

"  You  make  your  enumeration  of  dangers  longer  than 
our  present  popular  writers,"  said  Sydenham.  "They 
include  everything  in  slavery." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Doctor,  "and  therefore  they  fail  to  make 
the  safest  and  truest  application  of  the  political  lessons  of 


148  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

the  past :  for  all  the  ancient  world  practiced  it,  monarchies 
as  well  as  republics.  So,  though  theories  may  be  put  for 
ward,  no  comparison  or  analysis  can  be  made;  yet  it  is 
clear  that  the  institution,  in  a  general  sense — in  the  abstract 
— does  not  harmonize  with  the  spirit  of  the  age.  " 

"  Neither,"  said  Sydenham,  "  do  many  other  things. 
For  instance :  A  measure  is  now  pending  in  Congress  of 
more  practical  importance,  and  that  should  be  more  bene 
ficent  in  its  results,  than  can  well  be  estimated.  I  mean 
Curtis'  Pacific  Railroad  bill, —  a  measure  that  has  been 
agitated  for  more  than  twenty  years,  greatly  needed  for  ten, 
and  now  ripe  for  consummation ;  and  this  is  the  most 
prominent  bill  before  Congress, — daily  under  discussion; 
would  quickly  pass  if  the  people  urged  it.  And  yet  it 
attracts  less  attention  from  the  press  and  the  public  than 
the  prize-fight  between  Heenan  and  Sayers.  Take  the 
newspapers  of  the  country  to-day,  and  where  you  find  one 
line  urging  this  great  work,  you  will  find  one  hundred 
lines  relating  to  an  exhibition  so  brutal  that,  in  the  early 
days  of  the  republic,  it  would  have  been  looked  upon  only 
with  disgust;  and  yet,  you  must  admit  that  the  press  is  a 
fair  reflex  of  popular  sentiment." 

u  True,"  said  the  Doctor,  while  he  paced  thoughtfully 
back  and  forth  on  the  raft,  "  the  spirit  of  the  age,  public 
opinion,  or  whatever  you  call  it,  while  it  should  always  be 
considered,  is  not  always  a  safe  thing  to  follow;  and  the 
frequent  warnings  of  this  in  Holy  Writ  are  undoubtedly 
founded  in  perfect  wisdom.  '  Vox  populi,  vox  Dei]  will 
not  always  do.  How  often  in  the  history  of  the  human 
race  has  the  very  seed  of  truth,  of  right,  of  justice,  liberty 
and  law  been  preserved  by  one  man,  when  the  populace 
were,  for  the  time  being,  given  over  to  passionate  or  plaus 
ible  error,  to  base  evil,  to  cowardice,  or  to  apathy,  until 
waked  at  last  by  these  faithful  sentinels  placed  by  God  on 
the  silent  watch-tower  of  truth." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

;E  will  now  pass  over  an  interval  of  a  number  of 
days.  Our  raftsmen  have  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri;  have  passed  St.  Louis,  thence 
on  to  Cairo  and  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio;  then  Kentucky 
lies  on  their  left.  The  narrow  point  of  this  State  that 
touches  the  Mississippi  is  soon  passed,  and  then  comes 
Tennessee.  On  the  other  side,  the  earthquake  region 
about  New  Madrid  is  passed,  and  soon  Missouri  is  left 
behind.  And  then  comes  the  State  of  Arkansas.  The 
summer  travel  from  the  south  northward  has  now  com 
menced,  and  the  larger  and  finer  class  of  steamboats  are 
crowded  with  passengers. 

We  are  now  in  a  long  stretch  of  the  river  above  Mem 
phis.  The  day  is  drawing  toward  a  close,  and  the  men 
on  the  raft,  oppressed  with  the  heat  of  the  long  summer 
day,  and  the  increasing  monotony  and  tedium  of  the 
voyage,  are  not  in  so  pleasant  a  mood  as  when  we  last 
saw  them.  Seth  Lane,  the  pilot,  had  been  in  a  chronic 
state  of  ill-humor,  excitement  and  apprehension,  from 
the  time  of  leaving  St.  Louis.  The  run  through  the 
<;  grave-yard,"  (as  river  men  term  that  part  of  the  river 
between  St.  Louis  and  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio)  had  been 
replete  with  difficulty  and  danger,  from  the  numerous 
snags,  which  might  easily  be  removed,  and  the  river  kept 
clear,  if  snag-boats  were  kept  regularly  instead  of  spas 
modically  in  service  by  the  government.  A  large  steamer 
was  in  sight  a  short  distance  below,  the  black  smoke  from 


150  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

the  tall  chimneys  pouring  out  in  a  dense  cloud,  indicating 
that  the  firemen  were  making  unusual  exertions,  and  that 
extraordinary  materials  of  combustion  were  brought  into 
use.  Soon  she  passed  them  her  paddle-wheels  beating 
the  water  into  billows,  and  her  swell  leaving  the  raft 
rocking  in  her  wake.  Her  guards  were  crowded  with 
passengers,  and  the  after-part  with  ladies,  who  watched 
the  raft  with  interest,  and  some  waved  their  handker 
chiefs.  The  pilot,  in  his  surly  mood,  seemed  to  consider 
the  gay  crowds  his  personal  enemies,  and  their  waving  of 
handkerchiefs  only  a  taunt,  and  swore  some  round  oaths 
as  he  took  a  fresh  quid  of  tobacco. 

"  Hello,"  cried  Sydenham,  "  there  is  another  boat." 
And  as  he  spoke  another  large  first-class  steamer  was 
rounding  the  bend  from  below.  The  clouds  of  smoke 
pouring  from  her  chimneys,  and  the  motions  on  her  fore 
castle  deck,  showing  that  they  too  were  "  shoving  up  the 
fires"  to  their  utmost.  Indeed,  a  barrel  of  turpentine  (on 
freight)  had  been  brought  up  from  the  hold,  placed  near 
the  capstan,  and  the  head  burst  in ;  and  into  this  the  fire 
men  dipped  the  sticks  of  cottonwood :  for  it  was  a  race, 
a  Mississippi  river  steamboat  race,  and  the  excitement  ran 
high,  both  among  passengers,  officers  and  crew ;  even  the 
cabin-boys,  and  children  among  the  passengers,  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  it  with  all  the  enthusiasm  ever  elicited 
by  any  contest  on  the  turf;  indeed,  far  greater,  for  each 
and  every  person  were  direct  participants.  None  can 
appreciate  the  intense  excitement,  except  those  who  have 
participated,  and  these  well  know  that  the  sense  of  danger 
is  generally  lost  sight  of,  and  so  in  this  case,  or  such  ter 
rible  combustibles  as  turpentine  would  not  have  been  re 
sorted  to.  And  on  this  boat  were  our  friends,  the  Bar- 
rona  and  Johnson  families.  Barrona  was  sitting  on  the 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST.  151 

after-guards,  surrounded  by  his  family  and  a  large  circle 
of  traveling  acquaintances — ladies  and  gentlemen — and 
there  were  many  children  on  board,  playing  about,  and 
talking  of  beating  the  other  boat,  which,  it  appeared,  had 
passed  them  while  they  were  "  wooding."  Barrona  had 
taken  no  interest  in  the  race,  indeed,  had  deprecated  it, 
alleging  that  there  was  fully  enough  danger  without 
racing,  and  was  talking  with  the  ladies  of  the  salubrious 
climate  of  Minnesota,  when  his  son  Pierre  came  back 
from  the  boiler  deck. 

"  Now,  father,"  said  he,  "  we  will  beat  the  other  boat, 
for  the  captain  has  got  up  a  barrel  of  turpentine  to  make 
steam  faster." 

"  Barrona  rose  at  once  in  alarm,  and  started  for  the 
forward  part  of  the  boat  to  remonstrate  with  the  captain 
against  this  recklessness.  He  had  not  gone  half  the  length 
of  the  main  cabin,  when  a  sudden  outcry,  a  sharp  com 
motion,  and  the  next  instant  flames  climbing  the  forward 
part  of  the  boat,  warned  him  that  the  worst  he  feared  had 
come.  The  men,  in  dipping  wood  into  the  open  barrel 
and  carrying  it  thence  to  the  furnace  doors,  dripping  it  as 
it  went,  quickly  made  a  pathway  for  the  fire,  and  like  a 
train  of  powder  to  a  magazine,  the  flames  from  the  glow 
ing  furnace  in  an  instant  followed  it  to  the  open  barrel. 
An  effort  was  then  made  to  throw  the  barrel  overboard, 
'but  in  so  doing  it  was  upset  upon  the  deck,  and  in  an 
instant  the  fire  fiend  had  complete  control,  and  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  relate  it,  the  whole  forward  end  of 
the  boat  was  enveloped  in  red  and  crackling  flames.  At 
once  every  soul  on  the  doomed  vessel  realized  that  they 
were  in  the  very  jaws  of  death;  wild,  piercing  shrieks 
rent  the  air;  men  of  unflinching  nerve  and  dauntless 
courage  were  paralyzed  by  the  awful  suddenness  of  the 


152  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

catastrophe.  Women  and  children  wildly  clung  to  their 
husbands  and  fathers ;  men  with  blanched  faces  struggled 
desperately  to  tear  out  the  stanchions  and  light  wood 
work  to  make  floats;  others  ran  to  lower  the  yawl;  others 
again  to  secure  their  baggage  and  effects;  but  all  were 
compelled  to  crowd  back  toward  the  stern  by  the  swift 
flames  and  suffocating  smoke,  which  filled  the  cabin,  for 
already  the  heat,  almost  as  far  back  as  the  wheel-house, 
was  oppressive  beyond  endurance.  Isabella  fell  upon  her 
knees,  and  raised  her  hands  in  prayer.  Barrona  and  his 
son  struggled  to  secure  floats,  but  all  realized  that  their 
chance  of  escape  was  more  than  desperate.  Many  men's 
hearts  failed  them  utterly,  and  wild  despair  usurped  the 
place  of  reason. 

Meantime,  high  excitement  reigned  on  the  raft.  Syd- 
enham  saw  the  first  outburst  of  flame,  when  it  leaped 
from  the  barrel;  he  saw  the  liquid  flame  spread  over  the 
forecastle  deck,  when  the  barrel  was  upset ;  he  saw  it  leap 
upon  and  climb  the  cabins;  he  saw  the  attempt  of  the 
pilot  to  turn  the  boat  to  shore,  which  succeeded  in  chang 
ing  her  course,  but  in  another  instant  the  pilot  had  to  flee 
from  the  pilot-house  to  avoid  being  burnt  to  death  at  his 
post.  He  saw  all  this,  and  his  blood  almost  ceased  its 
circulation,  as  the  wild  shrieks  of  despair  rose  on  the 
summer  air  from  the  burning  boat.  Then  one  thought 
alone  filled  his  mind,  and  prompted  his  whole  soul  to 
action — it  was  to  save  the  people  on  the  boat.  One  slen 
der  chance  offered  to  do  this,  and  he  at  once  determined 
to  improve  it.  The  boat,  turned  from  the  channel,  struck 
a  sand-reef;  her  engines  were  still  working,  but  the  sand- 
reef  held  her.  Sydenham  determined  to  lay  his  raft 
alongside.  Calling  his  men  around  him,  he  said: 

"  Men,  there  are  hundreds  who,  in  ten  minutes,  will  be 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  153 

drowned  or  burned  to  death;  we  must  save  them.     I  am 
willing  to  risk  my  raft  and  my  life.     Will  you  help  me  ?" 

All  said,  Yes;  but  when  the  order  was  given  to  lay  her 
alongside,   Seth  Lane   swore   he  was  "  not  going   to  be 
drowned  or  burned  to  death  to  save  anybody." 
(     "  You  will  not,"  said  Sydenham,  "  for  you  can  swim  if 
the  fire  drives  you  from  the  raft/' 

"  I  know  this  river  too  well,"  said  the  pilot;  "  few  men 
swim  out  who  fall  in  the  Mississippi." 

"  I  will  not  talk,"  said  Sydenham  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
"  while  women  and  children  are  being  burned  to  death. 
Lay  the  raft  alongside." 

"  I  will  not,"  said  Lane  with  an  oath. 

"  Then  stand  back,"  said  Sydenham,  seizing  the  sweep. 

The  pilot  resisted.  In  an  instant  Sydenham  felled  him 
to  the  deck,  and  aided  by  the  best  of  the  men  (for  some 
sided  with  the  pilot)  the  course  of  the  raft  was  changed, 
and  the  swift  current  rapidly  bore  her  toward  the  fiery  mass. 

Isabella  had  first  seen  the  coming  relief,  and  with  glad 
cries  called  to  her  father.  Then  hundreds  of  imploring 
voices  were  piteously  begging  the  raftsmen  to  save  them. 
Those  who  had  at  first -sided  with  the  pilot  now  came 
gallantly  forward  and,  under  Sydenham's  orders,  began  to 
wet  down  with  buckets  of  water  that  side  that  would  come 
in  contact  with  the  boat.  The  steamer  ^lay  with  her  bow 
pointing  towards  the  shore ;  and,  if  the  raft  could  be  held 
at  the  stern,  the  rescue  could  be  made  with  ease ;  but 
Sydenham  knew  that  if,  in  the  confusion,  they  failed  to 
make  fast  to  the  stern,  and  were  once  carried  by,  then  all 
hope  was  gone,  for  they  could  neither  return  nor  check  the 
raft.  To  lay  her  alongside,  then,  while  by  far  the  most 
dangerous  course  in  respect  to  the  safety  of  the  raft  and  its 
crew,  was  the  only  course  that  ofiered  any  hope  of  saving 


154 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 


more  than  a  small  portion  of  the  whole  number  on  the 
boat.  The  chance  of  saving  nearly  all  the  lives  involved 
a  fearful  risk,  and  it  was  this  that  his  men  feared ;  but  they 
quickly  said,  if  he  was  willing  to  risk  his  raft  and  his  life, 
they  ought  to  be  willing  to  HSK  their  lives ;  and  so,  except 
the  pilot,  they  aided  with  all  the  roused  energy  and  force 
of  brave,  determined  men.  The  Doctor  worked  with  tre 
mendous  energy  in  spreading  upon  the  raft  the  bedding 
dipped  in  water,  and  in  wetting  the  now  dry  boards  by 
throwing  on  water;  but  the  time  for  this  was  too  short  to 
effect  a  great  deal.  The  current  bore  them  on  so  swiftly 
that  soon  the  stern  of  the  raft,  which  was  next  the  bow  of 
the  boat,  was  so  hot  that  men  could  scarcely  stay  on  it, 
even  by  retreating  to  the  further  side. 

Before  she  struck,  Sydenham  placed  himself  and  most 
of  his  men  nearest  the  crowd  on  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and 
begged  of  them,  in  jumping  on  to  the  raft,  not  to  crowd 
one  another,  and  charging  his  men  to  aid  the  women  and 
children  first,  and  hurry  them  back  to  the  other  side,  he 
set  such  an  example  on  the  raft,  and  Barrona  on  the  boat, 
that,  even  in  that  fearful  moment,  something  like  system 
and  order  was  established. 

The  boat  was  now  one  mass  of  fire,  from  her  bow  back 
four-fifths  of  her  length,  and,  even  at  the  extreme  stern, 
the  heat  was  so  great  that  it  was  with  difficulty  some  were 
restrained  from  plunging  into  the  river.  Before  the  raft 
touched,  several  men  sprang  from  the  boat  towards  her; 
and  of  these  two  or  three  fell  into  the  water;  and  one  was 
caught  between  the  raft  and  the  boat  and  crushed  to  death 
instantly.  At  the  moment  of  contact  the  rush  began,  and, 
although  every  effort  was  made  by  those  seeking  to  save 
others  to  prevent  accident,  many  were  hurt  quite  seriously 
by  falling,  and  others  from  behind  falling  or  jumping  upon 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  155 

them.  Directly  after  the  raft  struck,  the  chimneys  fell 
with  a  loud  crash,  and  one  fell  upon  the  raft.  The  boat 
also  floated  from  the  reef;  and  the  fright  caused  by  these 
two  circumstances  added  greatly  to  the  panic. 

Barrona  took  his  post  near  a  stanchion  at  the  stern,  and 
had  there  gathered  his  own  and  Mrs.  Johnson's  family, 
and  had  made  all  join  hands  and  press  close  together,  to 
avoid  being  separated  or  pushed  overboard  by  the  surging 
crowd.  When  he  felt  the  boat  afloat  he  started  and  feared 
the  boat  and  raft  might  part  at  once ;  another  look,  how 
ever,  and  he  motioned  them  to  stand  still, — yet  a  moment 
or  two,  and  the  way  was  clear.  With  a  quick  motion  to 
Sydenham,  he  seized  Isabella  by  the  hand  and  passed  her 
to  Sydenham,  who  bore  her  almost  insensible  form  to  the 
other  side  of  the  raft.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  all  the 
younger  members  of  the  two  families,  were  quickly  passed 
over  the  side  and  received  into  the  strong  arms  of  the  rafts 
men  and  Doctor  Ross;  and,  just  as  boat  and  raft  parted, 
Barrona,  the  last  soul  upon  the  boat,  sprang  on  the  raft. 

And  now  a  wild  outcry  was  raised  that  the  raft  was  on 
fire.  And  so  it  was,  and  had  been  from  the  time  the 
chimney  fell,  and  had  been  raging  at  one  end  of  the  raft 
while  all  were  busy  at  the  other.  Sydenham  and  Barrona 
instantly  consulted,  (for  such  situations  develop  both  con 
fidence  and  perception  of  character)  and,  and  at  their 
suggestion,  a  line  across  the  raft  was  formed,  and  each  man 
or  woman  with  a  garment  of  some  kind  dipped  in  water 
was  soon  beating  out  the  flames  which  were  licking  over 
the  surface  of  the  raft.  This  movement  was  so  successful 
that  confidence  was  soon  restored,  and  men,  women,  and 
even  children  charged  upon  the  flames  from  all  sides  with 
wet  coats,  shawls  and  petticoats.  As  soon  as  this  work 
was  well  begun,  Sydenham  called  all  the  raftsmen  and 


I£j6  THE    HEART   OP  THE    WEST. 

steamboat-men  to  get  them  entirely  clear  of  and  away  from 
the  burning  wreck.  To  do  this  poles  were  brought  into 
requisition,  and  soon  the  men,  with  faces  scorched  to  a 
blister,  had  the  satisfaction  of  getting  the  raft  entirely  clear 
of  the  boat,  and  floating  out  of  the  range  of  that  fierce  heat. 

Putting  the  sweeps,  which  were  not  greatly  injured,  in 
charge  of  his  own  crew,  with  the  steamboat  pilot  to  indicate 
the  channel,  Sydenham  now  superintended  the  complete 
extinguishment  of  the  fire  upon  the  raft.  This  was  soon 
effected,  and  then  all  breathed  free  again,  and  could  see 
how  fearful  had  been  their  danger  and  how  great  their 
deliverance. 

Within  three  minutes  after  the  last  had  left  the  boat, 
most  of  the  upper  deck  had  fallen,  and  the  stern,  even  to 
the  rudder-post,  was  one  mass  of  lurid  fire.  The  light 
upper- works  of  the  boat  being  of  pine,  and  painted  with 
oil  paints,  were  now  almost  consumed ;  but  the  hull  burned 
more  slowly.  Had  the  fire  started  in  any  ordinary  way, 
the  precautions  constantly  taken  on  these  boats  against 
such  disaster,  and  the  efficient  discipline  maintained,  would 
have  insured  its  immediate  extinguishment;  but  the  ex 
citement  engendered  by  the  race  led  to  the  careless  use  of 
a  dangerous  combustible,  and,  after  the  upsetting  of  the 
barrel  of  burning  turpentine,  no  human  power  could  save 
the  boat  from  quick  destruction.*  Order,  discipline,  cour 
age,  strength,  or  a  self-sacrificing  disposition,  availed  noth 
ing  then.  Had  every  officer  on  the  boat  lain  down  his 
life,  it  would  have  availed  nothing. 

The  raft  was  different,  the  top  courses  only  being  dry, 
and  lying  rather  compactly  together,  and  the  whole  surface 

*  About  the  year  1855,  a  steamer  plying  between  St.  Louis  and  Peoria  was 
destroyed  exactly  in  the  way  here  narrated ;  but  there  was  no  rescue,  and  a  large 
number  of  lives  were  lost.  The  catastrophe  occurred  a  short  distance  above  St. 
Louis. 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  1^7 

except  the  little  cabins  being  flat.  Sydenham  knew  that 
the  chances  of  subduing  the  fire  were  very  good,  and  that 
if  all  would  work  that  it  was  almost  certain  that  it  could 
be  done  with  ease.  The  great  danger  was  that  the  panic 
and  confusion  would  prevent  until  too  late ;  but  the  prompt 
action  of  Barrona  and  his  family  set  an  example  that  was 
immediately  imitated  by  most  of  the  two  hundred  passen 
gers. 

Isabella,  on  reviving  after  swallowing  a  little  of  the 
water  hastily  offered  her  by  Sydenham,  took  her  place  by 
her  father's  side,  and,  tearing  the  skirt  from  her  dress, 
dipped  it  in  the  river  and  sloshed  the  flames,  after  the 
fashion  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  prairies  of  Illinois, 
"lighting  fire"  to  protect  their  fences  and  crops  when  the 
prairies  were  on  fire.  Barrona  recognized  an  old  college 
friend  in  the  Doctor,  and,  after  a  warm  greeting  and  many 
expressions  of  gratitude,  enquired  for  Sydenham,  who, 
blackened,  scorched  and  begrimed  with  smoke,  fire  and 
cinders,  was  now  examining  the  extent  of  his  losses. 

The  Doctor,  who  had  seconded  Sydenham  with  all  his 
heart  and  soul,  and  had  labored  unceasingly  in  wetting 
down  the  raft  before  contact  with  the  boat,  then  in  getting 
passengers  on  board,  and  then  in  extinguishing  the  fire, 
told  Barrona  of  the  high  excitement  and  mutiny  on  the 
raft,  its  prompt  suppression  by  Sydenham,  and  the  desper 
ate  and  nnrrow  chance  by  which  they  were  enabled  to 
come  to  their  assistance  at  all.  Barrona  had  to  this  point 
maintained  his  courage  and  comparative  calmness,  but  he 
now  gave  way,  and  tears  coursed  down  his  cheeks.  The 
Doctor  led  the  way  into  the  little  lodging-room  thus  far 
occupied  by  himself  and  Sydenham,  and  there  the  strong 
men  bowed  their  heads  and  returned  thanks  to  God  for 
this  great  deliverance. 


158  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

"  And  now,  my  friend,"  said  Barrona,  "  let  us  seek  your 
noble  friend,  but  for  whom,  under  God,  almost  every  soul 
on  board  that  proud  steamer  would  have  perished.  No 
words  of  mine  can  thank  him  enough,  for  he  has  saved 
what  is  far  dearer  to  me  than  life." 

Sydenham  had  just  washed  the  smut  and  dirt  from  his 
blistered  face,  and  was  giving  directions  to  his  men  about 
landing  at  the  nearest  town,  which,  the  pilot  of  the  steam 
boat  told  him,  was  about  five  miles  below. 

The  Doctor  approached.  "  My  friend,  Mr.  Sydenham, 
of  Minnesota;  my  friend,  Mr.  Barrona,  of  Louisiana." 

"  I  have  already  become  somewhat  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Barrona,"  said  Sydenham,  smiling  and  extending  his  hand. 

But  Barrona  took  him  in  his  arms  and  embraced  him 
with  emotion.  "  You,"  said  he,  "  have  done  for  me  and 
mine  what  no  words  of  mine  can  express.  You  have 
saved  all  of  our  lives,  and  at  the  peril  of  your  own ;  and  if 
Henry  Barrona,  now  or  ever,  can  do  aught  to  repay  this 
obligation,  command  him." 

"  I  did  no  more  than  my  duty,"  said  Sydenham,  u  and, 
without  the  aid  of  many  others,  among  them  the  Doctor 
and  yourself,  could  have  effected  nothing;  but  I  am  most 
thankful  to  God  that  you  have  all  been  saved,  and  that  we 
are  now  here  on  this  raft  in  safety." 

"  But  come,"  said  Barrona,  "let  me  present  you  at  once 
to  my  family  and  friends,  that  they  too  may  thank  you." 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  offer,"  said  Sydenham,  "but 
you  see  I  am  in  no  plight  to  go  among  ladies,  and  no 
raftsman  could  face  so  many  at  once  as  I  see  in  that  crowd 
forward." 

"  Tut,  tut,'*  said  Barrona,  "no  wife  or  daughter  of  mine 
would  heed  such  trifles  in  such  a  case,  or  I  would  disown 
them." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 


159 


But  Sydenham  pleaded  his  duties  on  the  raft,  and  beg 
ged  to  be  excused  until  after  they  landed.  The  Doctor 
went  with  Barrona,  and  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  Barrona, 
Mrs.  Johnson,  and  the  families  of  both.  The  ladies  en 
quired  anxiously  for  Sydenham,  and  expressed  their  grat 
itude  in  most  earnest  terms;  and  numbers  of  gentlemen 
went  to  seek  and  thank  him,  while  others  proposed  more 
substantial  rewards;  and  soon  a  committee  was  formed, 
and  a  subscription  of  over  five  thousand  dollars  was  made 
up,  as  a  compensation  to  Sydenham  for  losses  and  a  reward 
for  his  efforts.  The  paper  was  then  handed  to  Barrona, 
who  glanced  it  over,  and  then  placed  his  name  on  it  for 
five  thousand  dollars.  Several  other  subscriptions  were 
made;  and  a  number  of  ladies  subscribed  liberally.  The 
gentlemen  then  waited  upon  Sydenham,  and  told  him 
what  they  had  done,  and  that  the  money  should  be  collect 
ed  and  paid  to  his  order  at  any  bank  he  might  name  in  St. 
Louis,  Memphis,  or  New  Orleans. 

Sydenham  was  taken  by  surprise.  He  had  indeed  heard 
that  a  subscription  was  being  taken  up  to  pay  him  for  the 
lumber  that  was  burned,  and  make  good  his  losses;  and 
he  had  been  pleased  at  this;  but,  always  self-reliant  and 
proud,  he  revolted  from  the  idea  of  receiving  the  bounty 
of  these  wealthy  strangers,  no  matter  what  the  circumstan 
ces.  He  thanked  the  committee  for  what  they  had  done, 
but  told  them  that  his  losses  would  not  exceed  one  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  more  than  that  he  would  not  accept,  and 
even  that  he  had  not  expected  and  did  not  ask. 

The  committee  urged  that  it  was  all  right  for  him  to 
accept  the  whole,  and  that  they  would  not  feel  satisfied  if 
he  did  not  do  so;  but  Sydenham  assured  them  he  had  only 
done  his  duty  as  a  man,  and  that  he  did  not  think  it  right 
or  proper  to  accept  anything  more  than  compensation  for 


l6o  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

actual  loss,  and  positively  would  not.  Finding  Syd- 
enham  decided,  the  committee  retired  to  consult  with 
Barrona  and  the  Doctor,  who  were  surrounded  by  a 
group  of  ladies,  among  whom  were  Isabella  and  her 
mother.  The  committee  stated  that  Sydenham  would 
not  accept.  Barrona  felt  mortified  at  this,  and  Isabella 
blushed.  Taking  the  Doctor  to  one  side,  the  two  talked 
for  some  time.  Returning  to  the  group,  he  took  the 
committee  to  a  remote  corner  of  the  raft,  and  said  to  them : 

"  Gentlemen,  we  have  all  made  a  mistake.  This  is  a 
very  different  man;  and  if  we  would  even  repay  him  his 
losses,  we  must  wait  a  day  or  two.  His  whole  trip  is 
broken  up,  and  his  raft  in  a  condition  that  he  cannot  go 
down  on  the  coast  as  he  intended,  but  will  have  to  sell  his 
lumber  at  Memphis.  Perhaps  the  sum  he  named  will 
cover  only  the  actual  value  of  the  lumber  burned,  and  if 
he  is  obliged  to  sell  on  a  bad  market  he  may  lose  in  that 
way,  also.  Let  us  retain  the  paper  as  it  is,  until  we  find 
out  his  full  loss;  and  this  he  can  and  must  accept." 

As  most  of  the  passengers  designed  stopping  a  day  or 
two  in  Memphis  to  recruit,  this  proposition  met  with 
general  favor. 

The  captain  of  the  steamboat,  who  had  been  consider 
ably  burned  and  injured,  and  had  been  carried  to  Syden- 
ham's  berth,  now  sent  for  him,  and  suggested  that  instead 
of  landing  at  the  little  town  which  they  were  now  very 
near,  that  they  go  on  to  Memphis,  where  every  accommo 
dation  could  be  had.  This  he  gladly  assented  to  if  the 
passengers  would  agree  to  it;  and  they,  finding  they  could 
reach  the  city  in  about  three  hours,  or  by  eleven  o'clock 
at  night,  and  that  the  trip  would  be  entirely  safe,  were 
nearly  all  in  favor  of  it.  It  was  now  dark,  but  there  was 
a  brilliant  starlight;  the  signal  lights  had  been  put  out, 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  l6l 

and  the  sweeps  were  in  charge  of  the  best  men  on  the 
raft,  aided  by  some  of  the  steamboat  crew,  while  the 
steamboat  pilots  stood  by  to  indicate  the  channel,  they 
being  at  home  with  every  bend,  island  and  chute,  as  a 
man  with  his  door-yard,  and  by  night  as  well  as  by  day, 
familiar  with  the  channel,  and  knowing  where  are  the 
snags  and  where  the  deep  and  where  the  shoal  water. 
Few  men  realize  what  it  is  to  be  a  good  Mississippi  river 
pilot,  and  fewer  still  can  make  one.  Of  course  the  raft- 
pilots,  are  not  expected  to  know  the  river  as  thoroughly 
as  the  steamboat  pilots,  nor  is  it  necessary. 

Seth  Lane  had  not  offered  to  touch  the  sweeps,  nor  to 
assist  in  any  way;  nor  would  Sydenham  have  permitted 
him  to  do  so,  since  the  affray  when  his  resistance  and  re 
fusal  to  obey  orders  had  almost  cost  the  lives  of  the  people 
on  the  steamboat. 

The  cooking  caboose  with  its  contents  had  been 
burned,  so  that  no  supper  could  be  had  until  they  reached 
Memphis.  Seeing  that  all  needed  arrangements  had 
been  made,  Sydenham  went  forward  with  the  Doctor,  and 
was  presented  by  Barrona  to  his  family,  and  that  of  Mrs. 
Johnson;  and  here,  by  the  starlight,  standing  upon  the 
charred  and  blackened  boards,  floating  onward  upon  the 
great  river,  we  will  leave  them  to  converse  upon  the  ter 
rible  events  of  the  day,  and  other  topics  that  would  be 
suggested  by  so  peculiar  and  unusual  a  situation  as  that 
in  which  they  now  found  themselves  placed. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

have  said  that  Isabella  was  the  first  one  on 
the  burning  boat  to  discover  the  approaching 
raft  with  aid  and  the  hope  of  life;  of  rescue 
from  a  watery  grave,  or  a  death  of  horror.  With  her 
mind  strung  to  its  utmost  tension,  and  every  faculty  of 
mind  and  soul  aroused,  nothing  on  the  approaching  raft 
escaped  her  eye,  and,  as  it  floated  near,  and  Sydenham 
stood  forward,  his  form  dilated  by  excitement,  and  gave 
his  orders,  snatching  them  all  from  the  very  jaws  of  the 
raging  flames,  she  felt  a  torrent  of  wild  emotions  that  she 
had  never  known  before.  Tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks ; 
and  when  her  father  handed  her  almost  fainting  form  to 
the  arms  of  this  gallant  stranger,  she  could  not  speak  nor 
utter  one  word.  When  he  gave  her  water,  she  could  only 
raise  it  to  her  burning  lips,  and  when  he  left  her,  and  her 
father  summoned  her  to  aid  in  extinguishing  the  fire  on 
the  raft,  all  her  energies  seemed  to  revive  at  once,  and  no 
woman  upon  the  raft  rendered  such  efficient  service;  and 
now,  although  the  fire  was  over,  and  she  stood  beside  her 
father,  mother,  relatives  and  friends,  and  knew  that  all 
were  safe,  her  mind  had  not  become  tranquil.  She  heard 
but  little  that  passed  around  her;  and,  leaning  her  head 
upon  her  mother's  breast,  she  wept. 

"Why,  rny  dear  child,"  said  her  mother,  "  we  are  now 
safe,  and  all  are  rejoicing,  and  yet  you  weep ;  surely  you 
do  not  grieve  for  the  loss  of  your  jewels  and  clothing, 
when  God  has  spared  us  all  alive  and  unharmed." 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  163 

"  No,  no,  dear  mother,  those  things  are  nothing;  I  care 
not  for  them,  and  we  have  been  blessed  and  saved,  and  I 
rejoice  and  praise  my  Maker;  and  yet  my  heart  is  sad." 

Seating  her  upon  a  rude  seat  that  had  been  hastily 
made  out  of  some  boards  from  the  part  where  the  fire  had 
not  reached,  her  mother  bathed  her  throbbing  temples 
with  water  from  the  river,  and  tenderly  wiped  her  face 
with  her  handkerchief.  Anxious  inquiries  were  now 
made  by  some  of  the  passengers  for  the  party  who  had 
gone  off  in  the  yawl ;  and  fears  were  expressed  that  they 
might  have  met  with  some  accident,  as  it  was  overloaded, 
and  filled  with  men,  the  most  of  whom  knew  nothing  of 
managing  a  boat.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Barrona 
introduced  Sydenham  to  the  ladies  of  his  family,  as  rela 
ted  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter.  By  the  dim  starlight 
all  traces  of  weeping  were  concealed,  and  Isabella  felt  as 
though  she  were  in  her  father's  house. 

At  first  the  all-absorbing  topic  with  the  whole  circle 
was  the  startling  events  of  the  day.  Save  the  man 
crushed  between  the  raft  and  the  boat,  no  lives  were 
known  to  be  lost;  though,  as  the  boat's  books  and  pa 
pers  were  all  lost,  this  could  not  be  certain,  especially 
as  it  was  not  known,  positively,  who  and  how  many 
were  in  the  yawl,  and  whether  they  were  safe.  Of 
those  who  were  injured,  all  would  recover,  it  was  thought ; 
and  as  there  were  several  physicians  among  the  passen 
gers,  all  had  had  all  the  attendance  that  could  be  given 
until  they  reached  the  city.  These  subjects  disposed  of, 
other  topics  came  up,  and  the  conversation  went  on,  not 
as  between  strangers,  but  as  between  friends,  reposing 
confidence  in  each  other.  All  barriers  of  formality  and 
reserve  were  broken  down,  and  Barrona,  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Johnson.,  the  Doctor,  and  Sydenham  conversed  with  that 


164  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

warm  and  kind  cordiality,  the  peculiar  charm  of  which 
can  only  exist  where  perfect  mutual  esteem,  confidence 
and  sincere  regard  are  felt.  At  first,  Isabella  took  very 
little  part  in  the  conversation,  her  mother  and  aunt  lead 
ing,  but  Sydenham  was  far  too  gallant  a  man  to  long 
neglect  any  lady ;  and  Isabella  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the 
way  in  which  the  unwieldy  mass  was  controlled,  and  kept 
clear  of  the  eddies  and  snags  her  father  had  pointed  out  to 
her  from  the  guards  of  the  boat.  Sydenham  offered  his 
arm,  and  they  walked  off  to  where  the  pilots  and  rafts 
men  guided  the  raft  by  means  of  the  sweeps.  They  then 
walked  to  the  remote  and  unoccupied  part  of  the  raft, 
and  watched  the  dark  and  silent  shores,  covered  with 
primeval  forests,  and  laved  by  the  rushing  river. 

"Do  you  liKe  to  be  upon  the  river,  Miss  Barrona?" 
enquired  Sydenham. 

"  Yes,"  said  Isabella,  "  though  I  was  born  upon  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  have  passed  nearly  all  my  life 
there,  yet  I  never  tire  of  it;  and  when  father  took  me  to 
the  splendid  Hudson,  although  I  enjoyed  it  very  greatly, 
yet  I  was  glad  to  get  back  home  to  the  banks  of  the  old 
river." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  the  Upper  Mississippi  ?"  enquired 
Sydenham. 

"  No,  I  have  not,"  replied  Isabella;  "  and  I  had  antici 
pated  so  much  pleasure  from  seeing  it;  but  oh,  how  little 
I  thought  of  the  horrors  of  the  past  day;"  and  she  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands,  and  again  the  unbidden  tears 
coursed  down  her  cheeks. 

"  But  this  is,  I  hope,  all  over  now,"  said  Sydenham, 
"  and  soon  you  will  be  safe  in  Memphis." 

"  Oh,  pardon  my  weakness,"  said  Isabella,  "  it  is  not  all 
for  myself,  but  for  father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  aunt, 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  165 

cousins,  all  these,  and  friends  and  fellow-travelers,  placed 
in  a  moment  between  a  horrible  death  by  lire  and  drown 
ing  in  this  dark,  rapid  river,  (and  the  poor  girl  shuddered 
and  sobbed)  and  from  this  dreadful  fate  you  saved  us  all, 
at  the  peril  of  your  own  life.  Oh !  what  if  you  had  not 
been  in  sight,  or  had  not  come  to  our  aid;  how  can  we 
thank  you  enough  ?" 

"  I  thank  a  kind  Providence  for  the  opportunity,"  said 
Sydenham,  "  but  forget  it  all,  Miss  Barrona ;  I  did  nothing 
but  simply  my  duty,  and,  had  I  been  in  peril,  your  noble 
father  would  have  done  as  much  for  me,"  said  Sydenham. 

"  Indeed,  I  know  he  would  do  all  he  could,"  said  Isa 
bella,  proud  of  the  terms  in  which  Sydenham  spoke  of 
her  beloved  father;  "  and  so,"  she  said  with  enthusiasm, 
"  would  I,  if  I  could." 

"  Indeed  you  did,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and  noble  service 
rendered  in  extinguishing  the  fire  almost  under  our  feet." 

Isabella  laughed.  "  I  must  have  made  a  singular  ap 
pearance,"  she  said,  "  but  I  suppose  you  gentlemen  were 
too  busily  engaged  to  criticise  me." 

"  Our  criticism  could  not  have  been  otherwise  than 
favorable,"  said  he. 

A  steamer  from  below  was  now  in  sight,  and  they 
paused  to  look  at  her  as  she  approached.  Steaming  on 
ward,  in  the  plenitude  of  her  power,  it  was  a  striking  con 
trast,  and  the  quick  mind  of  Isabella  at  once  remarked  it. 

"  How  proud  and  grand  a  thing  is  that  steamer,"  she 
said;  "  and  yet,"  she  quickly  added,  "  this  raft  is  safer,  and, 
humble,  as  they  think  it,  it  saved  us  when  they  could 
not,"  she  said,  with  a  wave  of  her  hand  toward  the  steamer. 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  humility  is  sometimes  safer 
than  pride." 

"  Is  it  not  always?"  said  Isabella. 


1 66  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

"  Certainly  humility  before  God,  and  before  ourselves, 
is  always  right,"  replied  Sydenham. 

"  Then,"  said  Isabella,  "  you  do  not  believe  in  too  much 
humility  before  men." 

"  Not  before  some,  I  do  not,"  said  Sydenham  decidedly. 

Isabella  smiled.  "  Tell  me,"  said  she,  fixing  her  dark 
and  piercing  eyes  upon  his,  "  why  is  it  that  some  of  your 
northern  politicians  accuse  us  of  the  south  of  being  proud  ? 
are  we  any  more  so  than  you  of  the  north  ?" 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Barrona,"  replied  Sydenham,  "  that  is  a 
question  I  cannot  answer.  I  only  know  that  there  is 
quite  too  much  crimination  and  recrimination  among  the 
politicians  and  newspaper  men,  of  a  sectional  character, 
for  the  good  of  the  nation ;  and  as  to  pride,  I  do  not  see 
how  a  few  parallels  of  latitude  can  make  much  real  dif 
ference  in  human  nature,  at  least  with  a  people  of  one 
blood  and  lineage." 

"  No,"  said  Isabella,  "  and  as  to  pride,  how  absurd 
most  of  it  is — I  mean  nearly  all  pride." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  the  love  of  the  true  and  right 
is  far  better;  but  you  spoke  of  loving  this  grand  old  river 
of  your  country.  I  sympathize  with  you  in  this,  and 
hereafter  shall  love  it  more  than  ever." 

"  And  so  will  I,"  said  Isabella,  "  in  spite  of  its  terrors." 

The  lights  of  Memphis  were'  now  in  sight,  and  prepa 
rations  were  made  for  landing.  Barrona  took  occasion  to 
explain  to  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor,  that  he  should  re 
main  in  Memphis  a  few  days,  and  would  expect  them 
both  at  his  hotel,  on  the  morrow,  or  at  their  earliest  con 
venience,  when  he  had  something  to  propose  to  them. 
To  this  invitation  the  two  friends  replied  that  they  would 
be  most  happy  to  call,  either  the  next  day  or  the  day  after. 

The  bustle  of  preparation  now  took  up  the  attention  of 
all,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  raft  was  moored  in  front  of 
the  city,  and  all  the  passengers  and  crew  from  the  burned 
steamer  had  left  for  the  hotels,  save  only  the  two  watch 
men  left  on  the  raft  for  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XXIII.': 

next  morning  Memphis  was  full  of  excite 
ment  at  the  news  (brought  by  the  survivors  them 
selves)  of  the  terrible  disaster  that  had  overtaken 
the  splendid  steamer  Comet.  The  hotels  were  full  of  the 
passengers,  and  the  all-absorbing  topic  throughout  the  city 
was  the  terrible  affair  and  the  numerous  incidents  connected 
with  it.  The  captain  of  the  boat  was  severely  censured  ' 
for  permitting  the  careless  use  of  turpentine;  but,  as  he 
himself  was  severely  injured,  and  a  heavy  loser  pecunia 
rily,  being  owner  of  one-half  the  boat,  on  which  there 
was  but  little  insurance,  whiich  it  was  thought  might  not 
be  paid,  there  was  a  disposition  generally  manifested  to 
overlook  his  fault,  and  extend  to  him  sympathy  in  his  mis 
fortunes.  This  was  all  the  more  manifested  as  it  became 
known  that  but  one  life  was  lost — the  man  crushed  be 
tween  the  raft  and  the  boat.  Many  were  seriously  burned 
but  none  dangerously.  The  escape  of  the  people  without 
great  loss  of  life  was  a  standing  marvel,  especially  with 
the  river  men,  and  more  particularly  the  officers  and  crew 
of  the  Comet.  And  nearly  all  agreed  that  the  rescue  was 
wisely  and  bravely  managed.  A  few,  of  course,  insisted 
that  it  was  all  luck;  that  it  might  and  should  have  been 
managed  better,  etc.,  etc.  The  passengers  having  lost  all 
their  clothing,  except  what  they  had  on,  tailors  and  dress 
makers  were  in  great  demand,  and  some  of  the  ladies 
(among  whom  was  Isabella)  were  obliged  to  keep  their 
rooms  until  new  garments  could  be  provided.  As  Bar- 


1 68  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

rona  had  his  money  and  drafts  on  his  person,  he  saved  all ; 
but  many  were  not  so  fortunate.  Sydenham  was  busily 
engaged  among  lumber  dealers,  in  selling  his  lumber,  for 
which  he  found  a  favorable  market.  Dr.  Ross,  finding 
that  his  expected  voyage  was  now  ended  at  Memphis,  was 
undecided  what  he  would  do;  but,  having  made  all  his 
business  arrangements  so  that  he  could  be  absent  from 
home  until  the  beginning  of  November,  he  was  free  to 
choose  as  his  wishes  might  prompt.  He  had  already 
taken  up  his  quarters  at  the  same  hotel  with  Barrona, 
removing  his  baggage  from  the  raft. 

In  the  afternoon  he  and  Barrona  called  to  see  Sydenham, 
*  but  [finding  him  busily  engaged  in  landing  his  lumber, 
they  exacted  a  promise  that  he  would  come  to  their  hotel 
in  the  evening,  after  the  day's  work  was  done.  Accord 
ingly,  in  the  evening,  Sydenham  laid  aside  his  raftsman's 
dress,  and  attired  himself  in  a  proper  suit  for  an  evening 
visit,  and,  calling  at  the  hotel,  sent  up  his  name  to  the 
rooms  occupied  by  his  friends.  But  Barrona  had  placed 
his  son  in  the  hotel  office  to  wait  for  his  friend ;  and,  before 
the  man  could  start  with  his  message,  Pierre  Barrona  came 
forward  and  conducted  Sydenham  at  once  to  the  family 
parlor,  where  were  assembled  all  the  members  of  both  the 
Johnson  and  Barrona  families,  except  Isabella,  by  all  of 
whom  he  was  most  warmly  greeted,  with  enquiries  as  to 
whether  or  no  he  had  suffered  from  the  over-exertion  of 
the  day  previous.  To  all  these  kind  expressions  Sydenham 
replied  that  he  had  not  suffered  otherwise  than  feeling 
some  slight  soreness  in  his  limbs  and  muscles;  and  all 
complained  of  some  soreness,  to  some  extent,  from  over- 
exertion,  and  a  slight  cold,  from  exposure  to  the  night  air, 
after  being  so  heated  and  so  fearfully  excited.  None, 
however,  had  suffered  from  the  fire  except  Barrona  himself, 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  169 

whose   neck,  hands   and   face  were  badly  scorched. 

Soon  Isabella  was  announced ;  and  Sydenham,  dazzled 
at  the  beauteous  and  resplendent  being  who  now,  clad  in 
simple  attire,  stood  before  him,  rose  with  diffidence  and 
took  her  extended  hand.  In  the  wild  excitement  of  the 
rescue,  he  had  too  much  thought  of  saving  to  pause  to 
admire;  and,  in  the  evening  conversation  on  the  raft,  it 
was  too  dark  to  more  than  see  the  outlines  of  her  form  and 
features,  and,  although  he  had  been  charmed  and  delight 
ed,  he  little  dreamed  of  the  vision  of  grace,  goodness  and 
beauty  that  now  stood  before  him. 

"  Mr.  Sydenham,"  said  Isabella,  as  she  extended  her 
hand,  "  I  hope  you  have  not  suffered  personal  injury  in 
your  efforts  to  save  our  lives." 

"  Not  the  least,  Miss  Barrona,"  said  Sydenham.  "  On 
the  contrary,  I  feel  most  happy  that  the  issue  was  so  suc 
cessful,  and  that  a  kind  Providence  rendered  it  possible  for 
me  to  aid  you." 

Tears  suffused  the  large,  dark  eyes  of  Isabella,  and  for  a 
moment  she  could  not  speak.  At  a  sign  from  her  father, 
however,  she  mastered  her  emotion  and  said : 

"  Mr.  Sydenham,  to-morrow  morning  high  mass  is  to  be 
held  in  the  Catholic  cathedral,  to  return  thanks  for  our 
deliverance ;  and  although  we  suppose  you  are  not  a  Cath 
olic,  yet  we  would  all  most  cordially  invite,  and,  indeed, 
urge  you  to  accompany  us,  and  participate  as  your  feelings 
may  dictate." 

"  I  thank  you  for  this  kind  invitation,  Miss  Barrona," 
said  Sydenham,  gravely  and  respectfully,  "and  accept  it; 
for  I  can  see  no  reason  why  Catholics  and  Protestants, 
worshiping  the  same  God,  should  always  refuse  to  do  it 
together :  certainly  they  are,  or  should  be,  one  in  Christ." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  Barrona,  "  but  you  know 


170 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 


the  walls  of  bigotry  that  have  been  built  on  both  sides, 
and  which  some  say  cannot  and  must  not  be  overleaped ; 
but  I  think  and  act  otherwise." 

"  I  rejoice,"  said  Sydenham,  turning  to  Barrona,  "  that 
you  hold  such  liberal  sentiments.  For  myself,  although 
no  Catholic,  and  believing  that  errors  have  crept  into  that 
great  church,  as  into  others,  yet  I  have  always  respected  it, 
and  have  not  believed  it  to  be  the  monster  many  zealous 
Protestants  honestly  think  it  to  be." 

"  I  am  a  moderate  and  conservative  Catholic,"  said  Bar 
rona,  "  and  moderate  and  conservative  Catholics  and  Prot 
estants,  it  seems  to  me,  need  not  be  far  apart,  although  the 
priests  of  both  too  often  tell  us  differently." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sydenham,  "  and  some  of  them  are  contin 
ually  rebuilding  the  walls  and  embattling  them ;  whereas, 
we  would  level  them,  or,  at  least  build  them  no  higher 
between  the  followers  of  the  crucified  Redeemer." 

Dr.  Ross  was  now  announced;  and  the  conversation 
turned  upon  other  topics.  An  hour — two  hours  sped  away 
so  swiftly  that  neither  Sydenham  nor  the  Doctor  realized 
that  it  could  be  so  late,  until  a  glance  at  his  watch  by  the 
latter  showed  that  it  was  time  to  retire.  Bidding  Barrona 
and  the  ladies  good-night,  Sydenham  and  the  Doctor  with 
drew,  but  paused  a  moment  at  the  room  of  the  latter,  who 
gently  rallied  his  friend  thus,  (after  first  closing  the  door 
of  his  room,  and  glancing  around  to  see  that  there  were  no 
eavesdroppers :) 

u  Well,  old  friend,  I  must  say  that,  for  a  raftsman,  you 
have  proved  yourself  a  great  ladies'  man ;  indeed,  I  was 
astonished,  and  did  not  know  but  we  would  have  another 
conflagration,  so  brightly  sparkled  the  eyes  of  the  young 
lady ;  and  yours,  though  not  of  the  fiery  kind,  usually  were 
not  far  behind.  I  did  not  know  but  the  curtains  of  the 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  171 

window  near  which  you  sat  would  take  fire  from  the  elec 
tric  flashes." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Sydenham,  "to  own  the  truth,  I  never 
passed  so  pleasant  an  evening  in  my  life;  but  I  did  not 
intend  to  show  it.  •  Tell  me  truly,  Doctor,"  he  added, 
gravely,  "  as  a  friend,  was  my  behavior  in  any  way  amiss, 
or  in  the  slightest  degree  improper?" 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  the  Doctor,  gaily,  "  you  only  acted  as 
ingenuous  young  men  of  your  age  are  apt  to  do  when  they 
fall  madly  in  love ;  and  she,"  he  added,  in  a  lower  tone, 
"seemed  quite  determined  to  make  the  plunge,  also,  with 
out  stopping  to  look." 

"  For  shame,  Doctor,"  said  Sydenham;  "  say  what  you 
will  of  me,  but  do  not  utter  one  word  in  even  slight  dis 
paragement  of  such  a  being  as  this." 

"  Ah,"  thought  the  Doctor,  "  I  have,  then,  a  true  diag 
nosis  of  the  case." 

"  Not  for  worlds,  my  dear  fellow,"  replied  he.  "  I  never 
saw  but  one  lady  whom  I  more  admired ;  and  she  was  not 
a  thousand  miles  away." 

"Ah,"  replied  Sydenham,  "now  I  think  of  it,  I  recollect 
seeing  a  medical  friend  of  mine,  of  mature  years,  paying 
high  court,  recently,  to  the  matronly  beauty  of  a  certain 
lovely  widow." 

"  Ah,  my  boy,"  said  the  Doctor,  deprecatingly,  "  do  n't 
say  a  word,  for  you  hit  me  in  a  tender  spot." 

"What!  so  soon?"  queried  Sydenham,  maliciously, — 
"  leaping  headlong  without  first  looking :  you  at  least  are 
old  enough  to  know  better." 

"Oh,"  said  the  Doctor,  holding  up  his  hands  imploringly, 
"murder  will  out;  murder  will  out;  but  not  another  word 
let  us  utter  on  this  subject  to  night — not  another  word," 
and,  so  saying,  the  friends  shook  hands  and  bade  each 


1^2  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

other  good-night,  Sydenham  going  to  his  raft  and  to  bed, 
but  not  to  sleep.  The  bright  vision  of  Isabella's  beauty 
was  bright  before  him,  and  sleep  he  could  not.  He 
thought  of  the  Doctor's  words  almost  in  anger;  but  then 
he  knew  that  the  Doctor  was  his  friend ;  and  he  rejoiced 
that  he  had  a  friend  with  him  who  knew  something  more 
of  him  than  those  whom  he  had  so  recently  met. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

>HE  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  the  Barrona  and 
Johnson  families,  accompanied  by  Sydenham 
and  Ross,  with  a  number  of  passengers  from  the 
burned  steamer,  proceeded  to  the  cathedral,  which  was 
soon  filled  with  the  escaped  passengers  and  crew  of  the 
boat,  and  citizens  of  Memphis.  A  large  number  of 
ladies  were  present  The  occasion  was  a  most  solemn 
and  interesting  one;  and  to  Sydenham  the  services  were 
new  and  unusual.  As  the  beautiful  and  solemn  music 
pealed  through  the  arches  of  the  lofty  building,  his  mind 
and  soul  seemed  to  absorb  and  fill  with  the  glorious  influ 
ences  of  religion,  and  he  saw  only  the  worship  of  his 
Maker  and  Savior,  and  his  soul  seemed  lifted  above  all 
the  petty  distinctions  of  sect  or  dogma.  The  solemn 
service  ended,  Sydenham  escorted  Isabella,  and  the  party 
returned  to  the  hotel. 

Here  Sydenham  left  them  and  made  his  way  to  his 
raft,  where  for  two  days  he  was  constantly  engaged  in 
superintending  the  landing,  assorting  and  tallying  of 
the  lumber.  This  done  the  sale  of  the  different  lots  was 
consummated,  the  account  of  the  burned  lumber  made 
up  and  settled  for  by  the  treasurer  of  the  committee  at  the 
same  price  he  received  for  the  other,  which  was  all  Syd 
enham  would  receive. 

The  men  on  the  raft  were  each  presented  with  one 
hundred  dollars  besides  compensation  for  articles  of  cloth 
ing  lost  by  them.  In  this  distribution  Sydenham  was 


1^4  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

willing  that  Seth  Lane  should  share ;  but  not  so  the  men 
on  the  raft,  or  the  donors,  who  insisted  that  these  rewards 
were  tokens  of  merit,  and  marks  of  esteem  to  the  men, 
in  which  he  ought  not  to  share;  for,  in  addition  to  mutiny, 
he  had  rendered  no  aid,  even  in  the  most  dreadful  moment. 
Sydenham  would  have  perhaps  taken  this  same  view,  but 
the  man  had  come  to  him,  after  the  landing  at  Memphis, 
confessed  his  fault  and  asked  his  pardon ;  and  this  had 
taken  away  all  his  anger  and  disposition  to  punish  him 
any  farther  in  any  way.  But  the  pilot  felt  deeply  his  dis 
grace,  and  as  soon  as  Sydenham  had  settled  with  him  and 
paid  him  his  wages,  he  started  for  home  on  the  first  boat 
bound  up.  The  other  men  remained;  and,  after  taking 
Sydenham' s  advice  to  remit  most  of  their  money  to  St. 
Paul,  went  about  the  city,  enjoying  themselves  in  their 
own  way,  and  lionized  by  the  Memphis  boys  greatly. 
But  after  two  or  three  days  spent  in  this  way,  the  more 
staid  portion  induced  the  others  to  start  with  them  for 
home,  which  they  did,  in  high  spirits,  and  accompanied 
to  the  boat  by  a  large  number  of  their  new  friends,  among 
whom  were  some  of  the  crew  of  the  Comet.  Sydenham 
bade  his  men  good-bye  on  the  boat,  receiving  from  each 
expressions  of  esteem  and  good-will.  Barrona  and  the 
Doctor  also  came  down  to  bid  them  good-bye,  and  Isa 
bella  had  sent  to  each  one  a  handsome  present  by  the 
hand  of  Burton,  whom  the  Doctor  had  brought  to  her  for 
that  purpose.  His  business  concluded,  Sydenham  took  up 
his  quarters  at  the  hotel,  his  room  adjoining  the  Doctor's. 
Meantime  Barrona  had  made  all  the  necessary  arrange 
ments  for  the  families  to  go  onto  Minnesota;  and  now 
tendered  to  both  Sydenham  and  Ross  a  warm  and  press 
ing  invitation  to  accompany  them.  Sydenham  accepted 
this  invitation,  of  course,  for  he  was  going  at  about  the 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 


'75 


same  time,  and  he  knew  that  they  were  aware  of  this, 
and  to  decline  or  make  excuses  would  seem  odd,  or  as  if 
designed.  But  the  Doctor  was  embarrassed ;  he  wanted  to 
accept,  but  it  seemed  to  him  awkward  to  do  so. 

"You  see,"  said  he  to  Sydenham,  as  the  friends  sat  in 
the  quiet  of  the  evening  twilight,  by  the  open  window, 
in  Sydenham's  room,  "  for  me  to  turn  right  about  with 
you  and  go  back  to  Minnesota,  from  whence  I  have  just 
come,  when  I  live  down  here,  would  seem  unusual,  and 
even  absurd ;  and  how  do  I  know  but  they  might  have 
only  invited  me  out  of  politeness,  because  I  was  with  you." 

"  You  flatter  me,"  said  Sydenham ;  "  but  I  will  not  be 
flattered .  How  do  I  know  but  the  high  favor  you  think  I 
enjoy  is  due  entirely  to  my  friend  Doctor  Ross,  and  to  his 
former  acquaintance." 

'*  You  have  no  grounds  for  thinking  so,"  replied  the 
Doctor,  "  and  every  ground  for  thinking  otherwise.  True, 
Barrona  and  I  were  old  college  friends ;  but  we  had  not 
met  for  years,  and  my  introduction  of  you  to  him  amount 
ed  to  nothing  under  such  circumstances.  You  had  been 
instrumental  in  saving  their  lives — that  introduced  you ; 
and  afterwards  these  high-souled  people  knew  intuitively 
what  and  who  you  was." 

Suddenly  the  memory  of  Grey  Eagle's  dying  words 
flashed  upon  Sydenham;  greatly  agitated,  he  started  to 
his  feet  and  paced  the  room.  The  Doctor  looked  at  him 
with  surprise ;  he  trod  the  room  with  such  a  pace  that  the 
floor  quivered  and  vibrated;  his  whole  form  dilated  with 
excitement,  hands  clenched,  and  teeth  set.  The  Doctor 
rose  from  his  seat  in  alarm. 

"  Sydenham,"  said  he,  "  what  is  the  matter?  are  you  ill 
or  mad?" 

"Neither,  my  friend,"  said  Sydenham,   pausing   and 


176  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

lying  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  "  Pardon  my  behavior. 
You  recollect  the  dying  chief,  Grey  Eagle.  He  died  on 
this  same  raft  on  which  we  were  permitted  to  save  the 
lives  of  all  these  people,  and  of  this  bright  being  with 
whom  you  say  I  am  madly  in  love.  He  uttered  some 
singular  words  of  prophesy  about  my  future  wife,  and 
how  I  would  win  her;  and  now  your  words  of  friendly 
encouragement  brought  this  to  my  mind,  and  fixed  the 
connection,  and  wonderful  indeed  if  it  should  be  fulfilled, 
and  this  glorious  girl  be  mine, — but  that  is  wild,  and  I 
must  not  let  so  sweet  a  delusion  possess  me." 

The  Doctor  paused  a  moment  in  thought.  He  recalled 
the  words  of  Grey  Eagle:  "She  comes  to  his  arms  out  of 
the  fire  and  is  his  wife."  Instantly  the  excitement  of  the 
Doctor  knew  no  bounds.  He  manifested  every  emotion 
of  wonder,  joy  and  fear,  and  seemed  unable  to  control 
himself.  Seeing,  however,  that  his  friend  was  not  disposed 
to  converse,  he  betook  himself  to  his  own  room,  and  there 
meditated  in  silence  upon  what  seemed  so  great  and 
wonderful  a  mystery. 

As  for  Sydenham,  his  mind  was  in  too  great  a  tumult 
to  think,  and  leaving  his  room,  he  walked  out  alone  into 
the  streets  of  the  city.  Passing  along  out  of  the  gay  and 
crowded  thoroughfare,  he  entered  a  fine  colonnade  of 
beautiful  shade-trees.  Here,  near  the  lofty  porch  of  a 
public  building,  he  was  accosted  by  a  woman — one  of 
that  degraded  and  unfortunate  class  who  minister  to  the 
sinful  pleasures  of  others.  Giving  her  some  words  of 
kind  advice,  and  handing  her  money  to  relieve  her  wants, 
he  passed  on.  Reaching  the  blufl  back  of  the  city,  he 
paused  for  some  moments,  and  looked  over  the  lights  of 
the  city  to  the  dark  line  of  river  beyond;  and  his  mind 
turned  upon  all  the  strange  events  of  the  last  few  days, 


THE    HEART    OF    THE    WEST.  1^7 

and  then  upon  the  aged  Indian  chief,  and  the  strange  chance 
by  which  he  was  able  to  rescue  and  relieve  him,  to  soothe 
his  dying  hour,  and  to  give  his  remains  Christian  burial. 
Then  before  the  voyage  was  ended,  comes  this  fearful 
calamity,  and  out  of  this  the  woman  who  now  filled  all 
his  thoughts.  Would  the  prediction  be  fulfillled,  or  was 
it  but  a  delusion  and  a  snare?  Could  it  be  possible 
that  he  was  to  be  so  blest,  or  was  he  to  drink  the  cup  of  a 
bitter  disappointment?  He  rose  and  slowly  walked  back 
to  his  hotel,  and  to  his  room ;  and  here,  in  silent  vigils  and 
in  prayer  he  passed  the  night. 


/       CHAPTER  XXV. 

'HE  morning  broke  gloriously,  the  crimson  and 
yellow  light  streaming  far  up  above  the  horizon. 
Sydenham  watched  it  until  the  great  orb  of  day 
was  above  the  horizon's  verge.  Leaving  his  room,  he 
descended  to  the  street  and  walked  out.  Passing  through 
the  silent  streets,  he  wended  his  way  to  the  river-bank, 
and  sat  down  to  muse.  The  great  river  rolling  on  its  tire 
less  course  seemed  to  him  a  type  of  life,  ever  changing,  and 
yet  unchanging  in  its  onward  course  towards  the  great 
gulf  and  the  greater  sea,  like  to  the  tide  of  time  rolling  on 
ward  toward  eternity. 

Musing  in  listless  reverie,  he  sat  for  some  time,  until  at 
length  roused  by  the  arrival  of  a  large  upward-bound 
steamer  from  New  Orleans.  The  lines  were  made  fast, 
the  gangway  planks  run  out,  and  soon  the  passengers 
came  ashore.  The  omnibus  for  the  hotel  drew  up  near 
him,  0nd  a  gentleman  of  fine  appearance,  and  most  ele 
gantly  dressed  in  the  hight  of  fashion,  approached  and 
enquired  of  the  hotel  runner  -for  the  Barrona  family ;  if 
they  were  stopping  at  the  hotel.  Being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  he  entered  and  the  carriage  drove  off.  A 
sudden  pang  entered  the  heart  of  Sydenham.  He  felt 
that  this  elegant  and  handsome  stranger  was  and  must 
be  the  suitor  of  Isabella,  and  all  the  pangs  of  love, 
jealousy  and  despair  tugged  at  his  heart-strings.  He 
hastily  rose  and  went  to  the  hotel  and  to  his  room,  and, 
after  making  his  toilet,  descended  with  his  friend  to  the 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  179 

breakfast  room.  They  had  not  been  long  seated  when  in 
came  the  Barronas,  and  Isabella  on  the  arm  of  the  hand 
some  stranger.  They  took  their  seats  near,  and  the 
stranger  was  introduced  to  the  friends  as  Mr.  De  Vere,  of 
Baton  Rouge.  Sydenham  rose  and  extended  his  hand, 
and  received  his  thanks  and  congratulations,  (rather  pat 
ronizingly  given)  as  the  rescuer  of  his  friends,  &c.  A 
great  effort  was  now  made  by  De  Vere  and  Sydenham 
to  be  polite  to  each  other,  but  the  freedom  and  ease  of  the 
little  circle  was  gone.  Naturally,  the  conversation  turned 
on  the  escape,  in  which  Sydenham  did  not  wish  to  say 
much,  and  then  on  affairs  in  Louisiana,  and  then  on  poli 
tics,  in  which  De  Vere  maintained  the  extreme  secession 
view.  At  length  the  breakfast  ended,  and  Sydenham 
retired  to  his  room.  Here  the  Doctor  soon  joined  him, 
and  said  it  had  been  proposed  by  him  to  Mrs.  Johnson 
that  they  (the  whole  party)  have  a  ride  to-day  in  the 
country;  and  urged  him  to  at  once  see  Isabella  and  in 
vite  her  to  accompany  him.  Sydenham  did  so;  and  she 
accepted  his  invitation  before  De  Vere  was  aware  what 
was  going  on,  and  greatly  to  his  chagrin.  Finding  that 
the  family  were  going,  he  invited  Amelia  Johnson  to 
accept  his  escort  in  a  single  carriage,  but  that  young  lady 
had  already  accepted  the  invitation  of  her  cousin  Pierre. 
Mortified  at  this  second  failure,  he  was  a  little  soothed  by 
Mrs.  Barrona,  who  invited  him  to  a  seat  in  the  family 
carriage,  which  her  husband  had  then  gone  to  engage. 
This  invitation  he  accepted,  greatly  to  that  lady's  satisfac 
tion,  who  considered  the  arrangement  very  proper  and 
right  all  round,  and  who  made  no  disguise  of  her  very 
high  esteem  for  Sydenham,  in  the  course  of  conversation 
during  the  day.  Barrona,  also,  although  a  friend  of  De 
Vere,  took  occasion  to  express,  in  unequivocal  language, 


l8o  THE   HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

his  gratitude  to  Sydenham,  and  his  high  regard  for  him, 
in  terms  that  he  intended  should  effectually  suppress  any 
further  patronizing  air  from  De  Vere  toward  him. 

De  Vere  felt  keenly  the  gentle  rebuke,  but  most  deeply 
was  he  pained  when,  half  an  hour  later,  the  carriages 
were  announced,  and  Isabella,  arrayed  for  the  occasion, 
entered  the  parlor,  and,  taking  the  arm  of  Sydenham,  de 
scended  to  the  street.  He  had,  indeed,  aspired  to  the 
hand  of  Isabella,  and  well  might  expect  success.  Hand 
some,  wealthy,  talented,  holding  on  eminent  social  and 
political  position  in  his  native  State,  (Louisiana)  few 
ladies,  indeed,  but  would  be  delighted  with  his  attentions, 
and  ready  to  accept  his  hand.  But  neither  Isabella  nor 
her  parents  were  to  be  influenced  by  these  things  too 
greatly,  and  although  she  had  respected,  and  even  admired 
him,  yet  she  never  had  loved  him ;  and  this  he  felt  more 
than  ever  before,  as  he  saw  the  look  she  bestowed  upon 
Sydenham,  as  she,  radiant  and  happy,  took  his  proffered  arm. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  family  carriage,  being  driven  by 
a  driver  acquainted  with  the  roads,  should  lead;  then  fol 
lowed  the  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  then  Sydenham  and 
Isabella,  and  then  Amelia  Johnson  and  Pierre  Barrona.  A 
gentle  shower,  the  night  before,  had  laid  the  dust,  and  the 
fresh  morning  air  of  early  summer  was  loaded  with  fra 
grance,  and  enlivened  by  the  songs  of  birds.  As  they 
ascended  the  bluff,  the  beautiful  little  city  lay  below 
them,  and  from  the  summit  they  had  a  commanding  view 
of  the  city,  river  and  valley. 

Few  cities  can  boast  a  more  lovely  site  than  Memphis; 
and  there  are,  upon  the  whole,  few  more  beautiful  towns. 
From  the  river  back  to  the  summit  of  the  bluff  there  is  a 
gradual  rise,  securing  perfect  drainage  and  a  most  beau 
tiful  effect,  as  viewed  from  the  river,  the  bluffs,  or  from 


THE   HEART   OF  THE   WEST.  l8l 

* 

the  city  itself.  The  party  halted  for  some  time  to  enjoy 
the  beautiful  panorama.  While  they  looked,  a  stately 
steamer  rounded  out  from  the  landing  place,  and  steamed 
down  the  river,  glittering  upon  its  waters  in  the  sunlight 
like  a  floating  palace. 

Pursuing  their  way,  they  drove  out  into  the  country  a  few 
miles,  and  returning  by  another  road,  reached  the  hotel  about 
eleven  o'clock,  except  Sydenham  and  Isabella,  she  having 
expresed  a  wish  to  enjoy  the  view  of  the  city  and  river 
again,  from  the  same  point,  and  they  accordingly  returned 
the  way  they  went,  and,  driving  slowly,  were  half  nn  hour 
later  in  reaching  the  hotel.  The  ladies  withdrew  to  their 
rooms  on  returning,  and  the  gentlemen  to  theirs;  but  all 
met  again  at  the  dinner-table;  and  here  Barrona  proposed 
starting  again  for  Minnesota,  on  the  boat  expected  from 
New  Orleans  that  evening — a  very  line  and  very  safe 
boat.  And  now  the  Doctor  found  himself  in  a  position 
that  he  must  decide  whether  tc  go  or  not.  Barrona,  Mrs. 
Barrona  and  Sydenham  urged  him  to  go  with  them,  as 
did  Isabella;  but  the  Doctor  hesitated.  Finally  Mrs. 
Johnson  remarked : 

"Doctor  Ross,  indeed  I  hope  you  will  decide  to  go 
back  with  us;  it  will  be  so  pleasant." 

To  this  the  Doctor  at  once  replied :  "  Thank  you,  Mrs. 
Johnson,  I  will  go." 

This  settled,  the  Doctor's  embarrassment  was  now  over, 
but  De  Vere  found  himself  in  an  awkward  position.  He 
had  come  up,  on  hearing  of  the  accident,  intending  to 
accompany  the  family,  not  doubting  that  his  company 
would  be  every  way  acceptable;  but  he  found  the  situa 
tion  quite  different  from  what  he  had  expected,  and,  to  use 
a  homely  but  expressive  phrase,  he  was  a  kind  of  "  fifth 
wheel  to  a  wagon."  As  for  Barrona  and  his  wife,  the 


1 82  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

friendship  and  intimacy  between  them  and  De  Vere  and 
his  family  disposed  them  to  the  utmost  kindness  and 
courtesy;  yet  they  could  not  conceive  how  his  presence 
during  the  trip,  as  one  of  the  party,  could,  tinder  the  cir 
cumstances,  add  to  its  harmonious  enjoyment.  The 
Spanish  mother  knew  well  the  characteristics  of  her  race, 
and  saw  clearly  the  unchanging  impulse  of  her  child,  and 
knew  that  nothing  from  any  other  source  would  change 
the  current  which  neither  father  nor  mother  had  tried  to 
check.  De  Vere  rose  hastily  from  the  table  and  went 
out.  As  the  party  rose  from  the  table,  Sydenham  whis 
pered  a  word  in  Barrona' s  ear,  and,  after  seeing  the  ladies 
to  the  parlor,  the  two  friends  went  to  Sydenham's  room. 
Closing  the  door,  and  handing  Barrona  a  chair,  Syden 
ham  seated  himself. 

"  Mr.  Barrona/'  said  he,  "  since  chance  threw  us  to 
gether,  I  need  not  say  how  great  a  pleasure  to  me  has 
been  the  society  of  your  family  and  yourself,  nor  how 
grateful  I  am  for  the  courtesy  and  the  marks  of  friendship 
and  confidence  you  have  shown  me." 

"  My  dear  friend,"  said  Barrona,  seeing  his  friend's  emo 
tion,  "say  not  a  word;  it  is  me  that  should  be  grateful." 

Sydenham  continued:  "You  will,  I  fear,  think  me 
abrupt,  and  possibly,  presumptuous,  when  I  say  that 
my  own  peace  of  mind  demands  that,  before  we  start 
north,  I  must  ask  you  one  question." 

"  Say  on,"  said  Barrona. 

"  Would  you  permit  me  to  address  your  daughter  with 
a  view  of  marriage,  and  win  her  if  I  could  ?" 

"  I  will,"  said  Barrona,  "  and  if  you  win  her  I  will  win 
an  honorable  and  high-souled  man  for  a  son-in-law." 

Sydenham's  emotion  almost  overcame  him.  Until  the 
last  twenty-four  hours,  he  had  hardly  dared  to  allow  him- 


THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST.  183 

self  even  to  think  of  such  supreme  happiness  as  calling 
this  lovely  girl  his  wife ;  and  now,  that  her  father  had  so 
nobly  given  his  consent,  and  that  he  had  learned  from  her 
own  lips  that  De  Vere  was  to  her  only  a  friend,  hope  like 
the  full-orbed  sun  roused  his  passion  to  an  impetuous  tor 
rent.  But,  checking  himself  instantly,  he  said : 

"  But,  Mr.  Barrona,  remember,  I  am  poor  and  have  no 
wealthy  family  connections,  nor  have  I  had  the  advanta 
ges  of  a  thorough  education,  or  of  social  intercourse  with 
the  gifted  and  learned." 

"  As  to  your  circumstances,"  replied  Barrona,  "  I  think 
you  told  me  that  the  proceeds  of  your  raft  would  pay 
your  debts  and  leave  you  some  ready  money,  and  that  you 
had  some  property,  and  that  you  had  supported  yourself 
from  a  child,  and  had  struggled,  unaided,  in  the  world  for 
all  you  had  won." 

"I  did,"  said  Sydenham;  "but  yet,  I  would  not  be 
able  to  place  your  daughter  in  the  position  I  would  wish 
to,  should  I  be  so  fortunate  as  to  win  her." 

"  My  daughter  comes  of  a  line  of  women  who,  if 
necessary,  are  willing  to  accept  even  poverty,  with  those 
they  love.  Isabella  could  not  be  won  by  wealth  or  posi 
tion;  so,  my  boy,  if  you  win  her,  remember,  it  is  for 
yourself,  alone." 

Sydenham  was  deeply  affected.  He'pressed  the  hand  of 
Barrona,  and  that  gentleman  withdrew.  An  hour  passed, 
and  Sydenham  heard  a  knock  at  his  door.  Opening  it, 
De  Vere  entered.  Offering  his  hand  to  Sydenham,  he  said : 

"  You  are,  allow  me  to  say,  a  most  fortunate  man." 

"  How  so,  Mr.  De  Vere  ?"  said  Sydenham. 

"  Why,"  said  De  Vere,  "  I  came  here  this  morning 
with  high  hopes  of  winning  a  most  lovely  woman,  and 
thought  that,  after  an  acquaintance  of  years,  my  chances 


154  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

were  good;  but  I  find  you,  my  dear  fellow,  hold  all  the 
cards — father,  mother,  the  lady  herself,  probably,  and  all 
her  family  and  relations.  But,"  added  De  Vere,  gravely, 
"  I  learn  that  you  are  a  brave  man,  a  man  of  honor,  a 
Christian  and  a  gentleman;  and  I  resign  all  claims  to  the 
man  who  saved  her  life,  and  offer  you  my  friendship  and 
best  wishes  for  your  success  and  happiness,  and  assure  you 
I  am  not  going  to  die  of  a  broken  heart,  or  of  jealousy." 

Sydenham  grasped  his  hand  with  deep  emotion,  and 
thanked  him  for  his  generous,  manly  and  magnanimous 
conduct;  and  calling  his  friend,  Doctor  Ross,  the  three 
friends  enjoyed  a  half-hour  of  pleasant,  social  intercourse, 
and  then  left  the  hotel,  to  make  their  last  arrangements 
for  the  trip.  De  Vere,  however,  was  not  going  until  the 
next  boat,  and  then  to  Louisville,  "  where,"  (said  he  gaily, 
as  they  parted)  "  I  am  going  to  make  love  to  a  lady  even 
more  beautiful  and  accomplished,  and  every  way  as  inter 
esting  as  the  good,  true  and  charming  Isabella  Barrona." 

"  I  wish  you  success  and  happiness,"  said  Sydenham ; 
"  but  can  I  too  succeed,  I  would  not  exchange  her  for  all 
the  women  in  the  world,  and  the  world  itself  added." 

De  Vere  paused  and   looked  at  him  intently  a  moment. 

"  It  is  all  right,"  said  he;  "  but  I  am  not  that  kind  of  a 
man,  and  can  bear  a  disappointment  of  this  kind  better 
than  you  can.  But  I  again  tell  you  that  in  this  affair  you 
are  the  favorite  of  fortune ;  for  not  often  do  men  like  you 
succeed  in  these  matters,  and,"  he  added  after  a  moment's 
thought,  "  let  me  advise  you  to  marry  her  quick,  while 
the  current  is  so  strong  in  your  favor,  or  else  some  adverse 
tide  may  set  in,  and  even  you  fail  at  last." 

The  young  men  pressed  each  other's  hands.  "  Thank 
you,  a  thousand  times,  thank  you,"  said  Sydenham,  "and 
may  God  bless  you  and  yours  forever." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

rUST  as  the  sun  was  setting,  the  splendid  steamer 
Constellation,  Captain  Scott,  Master,  steamed  away 
from  the  Memphis  landing  with  the  whole  party 
on  board.  Isabella  and  Sydenham  sat  near  each  other, 
upon  the  after-guards,  engaged  in  conversation ;  while,  at 
a  little  distance,  Barrona  and  the  Doctor  were  reading 
some  late  papers,  the  other  members  of  the  families  being 
in  the  cabin  or  upon  the  upper  or  hurricane  deck.  The 
conversation  between  the  pair,  after  the  city  of  Memphis 
was  left  behind,  had  turned  upon  books. 

"  Mr.  Sydenham,"  said  Isabella,  "  you  have  read  Shak- 
speare;  now  tell  me  which  female  character  of  his  you 
like  the  best" 

"  The  purest  diamond  in  the  whole  casket  is,  I  think, 
Miranda,  in  the  play  of  Tempest,"  replied  Sydenham. 
"And  which  do  you  admire  the  most,  Miss  Barrona?" 

"  Indeed,  Mr.  Sydenham,"  replied  Isabella,  timidly,  "  I 
am  no  critic,  and  have  never  read  Tempest,  but  I  have 
heard  my  father  say  that  he  thought  the  best  female  char 
acters  in  the  Bible  (the  old  Testament)  and  in  Shakspeare 
harmonized;  that  Ruth  and  Miranda  were  alike;  and 
then  he  would  kiss  my  mother  and  call  her  his  Ruth  some 
times,  and  sometimes  Miranda,  but  her  name  is  Isabella, 
like  mine." 

"  Your  mother  was  from  Spain,  I  believe,"  said  Syden 
ham. 

"  Yes,"  said  Isabella,  "  and  there  my  father  married  her 


l86  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

and  brought  her  to  Louisiana,  his  native  State,  and  where 
his  father  died ;  and  there  I  was  born,  and  there  we  have 
all  lived  very  happily;  but  my  father  says  he  fears  now 
that  great  troubles  may  come  upon  the  whole  country. 
He  says  the  people's  minds  are  so  inflamed  by  evil  speech, 
evil  writing  and  falsehood,  that  the  north  and  the  south 
hate  each  other,  and  he  fears  war  may  break  out,  and  he 
fears  the  prosperity,  liberty  and  virtue  of  the  country  may 
be  destroyed,  or  greatly  injured,  besides  the  killing  of 
thousands  and  thousands  of  men." 

"  Indeed,  it  is  too  dreadful  to  think  of,"  said  Sydenham, 
"  and  as  foolish  as  wicked." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Sydenham,"  said  Isabella,  while  the  tears 
dimmed  her  lustrous  eyes,  and  her  bosom  heaved,  "  you 
would  n't  fight  in  such  a  war,  would  you  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  said  Sydenharn,  "  for  it  seems  to  me  the 
duty  of  a  true  patriot  to  oppose  civil  war  under  almost  any 
circumstances." 

"  Mr.  Sydenham,  will  you  point  out  the  place  where  the 
Comet  burned,  and  where  you  saved  us  from  perishing 
miserably,"  said  Isabella. 

"  With  pleasure,  Miss  Barrona ;  but  it  will  be  after  dark 
when  we  pass  there ;  yet  I  can  show  you  about  the  place, 
and  the  wreck  may  be  visible-" 

"  Oh,  Isabella,"  cried  Mary  Barrona,  "  come  up  on  the 
hurricane  deck ;  it  is  so  pleasant." 

"  Will  you  not  go  up,  Miss  Barrona?"  said  Sydenham; 
"  there  is  a  fine  promenade  there." 

Isabella  rose.  "  With  pleasure,  Mr.  Sydenham ;  but  I 
will  go  and  get  a  light  shawl,  for  the  night  air  will  be  cool 
soon." 

Sydenham  stepped  to  his  state-room  and,  exchanging 
his  light  summer  coat  for  one  ot  cloth,  met  Isabella  in  the 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  1 87 

ladies*  cabin,  and,  offering  her  his  arm,  escorted  her  to  the 
upper  deck,  where  numbers  were  promenading  in  the  cool 
evening  air.  It  was  now  twilight,  but  the  landscape,  soft 
ened  by  the  approaching  gloom  of  night,  offered  its  own 
peculiar  beauty  at  that  hour,  as  the  noble  steamer  held 
steadily  on  her  way.  As  they  walked  forward,  the  dark 
eyes  of  Isabella  were  turned  up  the  river. 

Forward  of  the  tall  chimneys,  near  the  bell,  Barrona 
and  Doctor  Ross  stood  in  conversation  with  the  captain  of 
the  boat,  and  surrounded  by  some  of  the  younger  members 
of  the  party  and  several  other  passengers.  As  Sydenham 
and  Isabella  approached,  Barrona  introduced  them  both 
to  Captain  Scott,  who  was  an  old  acquaintance  of  his. 

"  I  am  happy  to  see  you,  Captain  Sydenham,"  said  he, 
"  and  to  thank  you  for  saving  the  life  of  my  brother,  who 
was  captain  of  the  ill-fated  Comet,  and  of  his  passengers 
and  crew.  A  lucky  thing,  indeed,  that  you  happened  along 
just  at  that  time;  and  even  then,  with  ninety-nine  men  out 
of  a  hundred  in  charge  of  that  raft,  there  would  not  have 
been  one-quarter  of  them  saved." 

"  I  saw,"  said  Sydenham,  "that  it  would  be  quite  impos 
sible  to  save  more  than  a  very  few,  except  by  laying  the 
raft  alongside ;  and  this  course  looked  so  very  dangerous 
that  it  was  almost  defeated  by  an  attempted  mutiny  on  the 
raft.  Then,  fear  and  panic  on  the  boat  came  near  ruining 
everything;  but  our  friend  here  (your  brother  being  disa 
bled,)  held  it  in  check ;  and  then  this  gentle  lady,"  turning 
to  Isabella,  "  by  her  devoted  efforts  to  stay  the  flames  on 
the  raft,  set  a  noble  example  that  was  quickly  followed, 
and  we  were  soon  safe  from  that  last  danger." 

Isabella  blushed  deeply  and  cast  down  her  eyes,  and  her 
hand,  which  rested  on  Sydenham's  arm,  was  observed  by 
the  bronzed  captain  to  involuntarily  tighten  its  grasp. 


1 88  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 

Tears  came  into  the  veteran's  eyes.  He  raised  his  hat 
respectfully  to  Isabella,  bowed,  and  said  in  a  low  tone, 
"  May  God  bless  you  both." 

The  pair  resumed  their  promenade  in  silence,  while  the 
Captain  and  Barrona  sat  down  near  the  bell.  Soon  the 
boat  landed  at  a  wood-yard,  and,  by  the  time  she  had 
finished  "  wooding,"  the  moon  was  up,  and  shed  its  pale 
light  over  forest  and  river.  As  they  passed  the  scene  of 
the  disaster,  the  pilot  pointed  out  the  wreck,  having  learned 
its  exact  position  from  a  brother  pilot  in  New  Orleans, 
who  had  noted  it  as  he  passed  down. 

The  promenaders  had  now  deserted  the  deck,  except 
only  Sydenham  and  Isabella,  who  walked  aft  and  looked 
upon  the  charred  and  blackened  wreck,  upon  a  sand-bar 
quite  near  the  track  of  their  boat.  As  they  passed  near  it, 
Isabella  could  not  contain  her  feelings,  and  the  horror  of 
that  awful  hour  seemed  to  fill  her  mind. 

"O  surely  it  was  a  heaven-sent  chance  that  brought  you 
to  our  aid,"  she  said,  with  deep  emotion.  "Think  of 
father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  aunt,  cousins,  and  all,  per 
ishing  in  a  moment,  and  their  bodies  given  to  the  fishes  or 
the  flames.  I  can  never  forget  it, — never,  never." 

Sydenham  gently  soothed  her ;  and  soon  the  swift  steam 
er  had  left  the  blackened  wreck  behind.  The  pale  moon 
rode  serenely  through  the  azure  heavens,  as  the  lovers  sat 
in  that  beautiful  night,  on  the  steamer's  deck,  and  yielded 
themselves  to  the  serene  and  sublime  influences  of  the  hour. 
No  word  was  spoken  for  some  minutes 

"Isabella,"  said  Sydenham,  in  low  and  gentle  accents 
—  for  so  she  had  told  him  he  might  call  her  —  "  Heaven 
forbid  that  I  should  claim  gratitude  from  any  one  for  a 
simple  performance  of  duty,  which  God  made  successful; 
but  I  feel  that  I  must  tell  you,  even  now,  that  my  heart  is 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  189 

yours;  that  I  love  you  with  all  my  soul.  Tell  me,  dearest 
Isabella,  may  I  hope  for  a  return,  or  will  you  reject  me?" 
Isabella  spoke  not,  but  laid  her  hand  in  his.  He  pressed 
her  to  his  bosom,  and  kissed  her  again  and  again.  She 
leaned  her  head  on  his  breast,  and  wept  tears  of  joy.  For 
she  knew  from  her  mother,  to  whom  she  had  confessed 
her  love,  that  her  father  would  not  refuse  her  hand  to 
Sydenham :  and  there  and  then  their  vows  were  plighted. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

>HE  next  morning  Sydenham  told  his  friend,  Doc 
tor  Ross,  that  which  the  good  Doctor  rejoiced 
greatly  to  hear— his  engagement  to  Miss  Barrona. 

"  My  friend,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  thought  you  looked 
taller  than  usual,  this  morning;  and  indeed  you  do." 

"And  so  I  should,"  said  Sydenham,  "if  my  feelings 
influence  my  stature ;  for  I  feel  happier,  aye,  and  greater, 
than  if  I  had  come  in  possession  of  an  empire." 

"  But  remember,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  that  saying  of  the 
eastern  sage  when  asked  for  an  inscription  to  put  upon  a 
ring,  that  should  moderate  the  transports  of  joy  in  the  hour 
of  success  and  happiness,  and  soothe  the  pain  of  grief  in 
the  moment  of  adversity  and  disaster :  'And  this  too  shall 
pass  away/  " 

"  Excellent,"  said  Sydenham,  "but  my  life  has  been  one 
of  toil  and  self-denial ;  and  now  let  me  enjoy  while  I  may, 
for  trouble  will  come  soon  enough,  doubtless.  This  is  the 
time  to  be  happy ;  and  I  am  determined  not  to  go  in  search 
of  dark  care,  but  hide  from  him,  rather,  for  a  time." 

"You  are  quite  right,"  said  the  Doctor,  quickly.  "I 
would  do  so  myself,  if  I  was  situated  as  you  are ;  and  1 
wish  7 was"  he  added,  with  great  emphasis. 

"  I  think  you  stand  high  in  the  lady's  estimation,"  said 
Sydenham,  "  and  as  the  successful  usually  assume  to  give 
advice,  allow  me  to  suggest  a  homely  adage :  l  Make  hay 
while  the  sun  shines.'  " 

"  Confound  your  adages,"  said  the  Doctor.     "If  I  should 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  191 

attempt  a  rapid  movement  and  get  floored,  you  could  find 
half  a  dozen  old  saws  about  the  folly  of  too  great  haste." 

"  Pardon  me,  my  friend,  said  Sydenham,  seeing  that  the 
other  was  not  disposed  to  levity,  "  I  will  not  and  do  not 
intend  to  commit  the  folly  of  seriously  offering  advice ;  but 
you  know  you  have  my  best  wishes,  as  has  all  the  world ; 
and  I  would  impart  to  all  a  share  of  my  own  happiness,  for 
I  have  too  much ;  and  you  may  exercise  the  prerogative  of 
a  friend  in  my  behalf  by  restraining  me,  for  I  feel  as  though 
I  could  walk  right  out  through  the  thin  air,  and  climb 
the  clouds.",, 

"  You  really  frighten  me,"  said  the  Doctor,  "and  I  have 
no  straight-jacket,  nor  is  there  any  means  of  taking  care  of 
the  insane  here." 

"  I  wish,"  said  Sydenham,  "  that  you  would  hasten  to 
the  same  point  in  this  delightful  pilgrimage  to  which  I 
have  reached;  and  then  you,  being  afflicted  with  the  same 
glorious  insanity,  could,  as  a  physician,  prescribe  a  change 
of  air ;  and  we  would  go  back  to  one  of  those  beautiful 
little  lakes  in  Minnesota,  away  from  the  unappreciative  or 
envious  crowd,  where  there  was  only  woods  and  rocks  and 
the  four  pilgrims,  devotees  at  Love's  shrine." 

"  Really,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  always  thought  you  a 
temperate  man ;  but  here  you  have  been  drinking  cham 
pagne  before  breakfast." 

"  Champagne,  indeed !"  said  Sydenham.  "  It  was  the 
nectar  of  the  gods,  and  taken  hours  ago;  but  now  I  am 
going  to  be  practical.  Let  us  go  down  and  see  the  ladies 
to  breakfast ;  and  do  not  you  utter  one  word  of  all  this,  for 
it  might  give  grave  oflense, — not,  I  hope,  to  Isabella,  but 
to  others." 

Isabella  had  risen  early,  and,  calling  her  cousin,  Amelia 
Johnson,  the  two  had  walked,  arm  in  arm,  for  some  time 


192  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

on  the  after-guards  of  the  boat.  Both  families  were  now 
in  the  ladies'  cabin,  and,  directly  after  the  two  friends  en 
tered,  the  polite  steward  announced  breakfast,  and  Syden 
ham  escorted  Isabella,  and  the  Doctor  Mrs.  Johnson,  to  the 
sumptuous  table.  The  long  and  spacious  cabin  of  the 
steamer  presented  quite  a  vista  of  elegant  comfort. 

The  western  river  steamers  are,  upon  the  whole,  the 
most  pleasant  and  desirable  mode  of  traveling  yet  inau 
gurated.  Free  from  the  plague  of  sea-sickness ;  free  from 
the  intolerable  smell  of  bilge-water  and  oil,  that  all-per 
vading  nuisance  on  ocean  steamers;  free  from  the  dust  of 
railway  trains ;  large,  airy,  with  ample  space  for  exercise, 
both  in  the  cabins  and  on  deck,  shady  and  quiet  nooks  on 
guards,  etc.,  with  ample  opportunities  for  social  intercourse, 
or  for  privacy,  with  excellent  fare  in  great  abundance  and 
variety,  and  cleanliness  and  order  everywhere,  it  is  not 
probable  that  any  more  delightful,  safe  or  healthful  means 
of  travel  can  be  devised.  Then  one  is  free  from  the 
annoyance  of  showing  tickets,  feeing  waiters,  making 
bargains,  etc.  The  traveler  goes  on  board,  engages  his 
neat  little  state-room,  pays  his  fare,  and  is  treated  with 
courtesy  and  attention.  As  to  safety,  accidents,  of  course, 
do  sometimes  happen;  but  they  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
Good  order,  discipline  and  efficiency  are  the  rule,  both 
among  officers  and  crew ;  and  courtesy  and  pleasant  social 
intercourse,  combined  with  attention  to  one's  own  busi 
ness,  is  the  etiquette  of  the  cabins.  These  rivers,  drain 
ing  the  whole  vast  interior  of  the  continent,  are  used  for 
travel  by  thousands  of  every  class;  and  an  immense  vari 
ety  of  character  is  here  met  with.  Men  from  the  north, 
the  south,  the  east  and  the  west;  from  the  Pacific  to  the 
Atlantic  oceans,  from  the  British  Possessions  to  Mexico, 
and  from  almost  every  country  in  Europe.  A  certain 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST.  193 

class  of  somewhat  narrow-minded  and  hypercritical  writ 
ers  have  given  very  unfavorable  and  unjust  impressions 
in  regard  to  life  upon  these  boats;  and  few,  indeed,  have 
been  found  to  pay  a  just  tribute  to  the  high  ability,  cour 
age,  generous  manhood  and  honor  of  western  boatmen, 
or  to  appreciate  the  difficulty  and  hardships  of  their  voca 
tion,  as  well  as  its  peculiar  temptations.  Not  all  these 
critics  would  be  able  to  fill  even  subordinate  stations,  or 
to  acquft  themselves  creditably  in  this  kind  of  a  life. 

Captain  Scott  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and,  after 
those  from  the  ladies'  cabin  were  seated,  the  breakfast  bell 
was  rung,  and  the  long  table  was  soon  filled.  Long  and 
leisurely  meals  are  not  the  style  here,  consequently  there 
is  less  conversation ;  but,  as  there  is  abundant  opportunity 
for  conversation  all  the  rest  of  the  time,  this  is  not  objec 
tionable.  If  the  passengers  can  all  be  seated  at  the  first 
table,  after  they  have  risen,  it  is  spread  anew  for  the  offi 
cers  of  the  boat;  and  here  freedom,  jests  and  repartee 
prevail.  Then,  after  this,  the  cooks,  cabin  boys,  waiters 
and  chambermaids  are  served.  The  deck  crew  are  served 
below,  and  the  mode  of  doing  this  might  be  improved. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

N  board  the  Constellation  were  gathered  a  large 
number  of  passengers  from  almost  all  parts  of  the 
Union,  of  various  character,  vocation  and  station 
in  life;  representing,  in  a  good  degree,  the  various  phases 
of  American  life  and  character,  diverse  in  thought  and  in 
interests,  having  all  shades  of  political  and  religious  opin 
ions,  and,  upon  the  whole,  not  a  bad  type  of  the  nation. 
Of  course,  at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  politics  was  the 
all-absorbing  thought  and  topic  of  discussion.  The  great 
Democratic  convention  at  Charleston  had  been  held,  and 
had  ended  disastrously,  in  the  dismemberment  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Few  reflecting  men  but  had  great 
misgivings  of  the  future;  but  as  there  are  not  a  great 
number  of  this  class,  the  temper  of  the  disputes  and  dis 
cussions  did  not  differ  greatly  from  those  preceding  other 
Presidential  elections,  only  that  there  were  more  radicals 
or  extremists,  and  extremes  were  further  apart — indeed, 
directly  opposite.  Although  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line,  all  shades  of  opinion  were  well  represented  and  ably 
maintained,  and,  through  the  example  of  a  few  leading, 
high-toned  gentlemen,  courtesy  and  toleration  were  the 
rule,  so  that,  although  passionate  and  angry  discussion  ran 
high,  yet  personalities  were  generally  avoided.  Occa 
sionally  the  hydrophobia  of  ultra  slavery,  propagandism 
or  its  opposite  extreme,  would  be  developed ;  but  as  the 
number  of  those  afflicted  in  this  way  was  but  small,  and 
as  the  radical  element  dominated,  they  were  kept  under 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  195 

such  restraint  as  to  preserve  the  peace  on  board  the  boat, 
and  so  prevent  the  spread  of  either  contagion.  On  board 
the  boat,  also,  were  several  gentlemen  who  had  attended 
the  Democratic  convention  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  as  dele 
gates,  and  many  sad  things,  illustrative  of  the  dangerous 
elements  entering  into  American  politics,  were  shown  to 
have  been  in  existence  there,  in  the  course  of  a  long,  calm 
and  analytical  examination  of  the  subject,  entered  into 
directly  after  breakfast,  and  continued  during  the  day,  in 
the  quiet  seclusion  of  the  after  guards,  by  a  small  circle 
consisting  of  Barrona,  Ross,  Sydenham,  and  four  or  five 
other  gentlemen  of  various  sections,  (including  some  re 
turned  delegates)  who  were  not  in  any  way  interested  in 
violent  agitation,  but  were  sincerely  interested  in  the 
peace  and  well-being  of  the  country.  The  result  of  their 
analysis  of  the  subject  was  agreement  upon  these  points : 

i.  That  there  existed  two  parties,  one  in  each  section, 
who  were  inflexible  in  their  purposes,  unprincipled  and 
unscrupulous  in  the  choice  of  means,  and  determined  to 
have  their  own  way;  and  these  parties,  though  really 
small  in  numbers,  were  incorporated  into  and  led  the  great 
bodies  to  which  they  belonged;  and,  as  neither  could  suc 
ceed  in  their  objects  so  long  as  the  people  were  united,  so 
it  was  their  interest  and  aim  to  dis-unite  the  people,  and 
encourage  sectionalism  and  sectional  hate,  and  the  blind 
fury  of  the  populace. 

2.  That  money  from  some  source  in  large  sums  was  at 
Charleston,  for  the  purpose  of  corrupting  the  delegates; 
that  this  was  well  known,  and  that  the  very  air  seemed 
tainted  with  bribery,  as  never  before  known  in  America; 
and  it  ought  to  be  known   whence   came  this  money  for 
purposes  of  corruption  in  such  vast  sums. 

3.  That  European    statesmanship   and  diplomacy   do 


196  THE  HEART   OF  THE   WEST. 

not  repose  upon  the  basis  of  Christianity,  but  upon  that 
of  self-interest,  or  national  aggrandizement,  and  do  not 
and  dare  not  dispense  with  vast  armaments  for  their 
maintenance. 

4.  That  their  secret  fear  of  the  spread  of  American  in 
stitutions  is  well  known,  and  their  intrigues  to  be  dreaded 
and  guarded  against. 

5.  That  it  is  absurd  and  grossly  improper,  every  way, 
that  the  oldest,  largest  and  most  powerful  political  party 
in  America  should  have  at  the  head  of  its  organization  the 
known  and  accredited  agent  of  the  house  of  Rothschild. 

6.  That  while  permanent  servitude  as  an  abstract  prin 
ciple  of  right  is  fallacious,  the  real  good  of  the  country,  or 
of  any  portion  of  the  people  of  the  country,  does  not  re 
quire  any  violent  measures,  or  the  dissemination  of  any 
revolutionary  principles. 

7.  That  men  possessed  of  inordinate  ambition,  and  vio 
lent,  brawling  demagogues,  and  all  other  demagogues,  are 
and  always  have  been  the  bane  of  republics,  and  have  been 
and  will  be  of  this  republic. 

8.  That  as  the  last  resort  of  political  differences  in  this 
favored  land,  civil  war  should  not  even  be  thought  of, 
nor  secession,  nor  coercion,  but  rather  a  NATIONAL  CON 
STITUTIONAL  CONVENTION,  assembled  in  accordance  with 
the  constitution  itself,  and  with  the  opinions  and  plan  of 
the  founders  and  makers  (under  God)  of  the  government, 
above  States  and  Congresses,  and  the  fogs  of  partisanship ; 
above  the  vile  malaria  of  sectionalism,  and  above  the  dia 
bolical  perversion  of  Christianity,  patriotism   and  truth; 
and   in   the  pure  and  bright   light   of    true    patriotism, 
Christianity    and    truth,    and,    in    a     spirit    of    conces 
sion    and    kind    regard,    each    for    the    other,    a    spirit 
of  true    humanity    and    justice,    discarding  public    ap- 


THE   HEART   OF  THE    WEST.  1 97 

plause,  disregarding  the  fear  or  favor  of  any  party, 
class,  or  section,  and  all  the  enticing  dreams  of  ambi 
tion;  emulating  the  patriotism  of  Sparta,  and  follow 
ing  the  divine  precepts  of  Christianity ;  refreshing,  restor 
ing  and  perpetuating  democratic  republican  institutions  in 
all  their  purity,  vigor  and  excellence ;  conserving  and  pro 
tecting  all  the  interests  of  all  the  people,  of  all  the  States, 
without  antagonism  toward  other  nations,  but  with  good 
will  toward  them,  yet  that  good  will  guarded  by  vigil 
ance  and  shielded  by  power;  extending,  also,  its  duties 
to  shelter  beneath  its  ample  breadth,  and  protect,  in  strict 
justice  to  ourselves  and  them,  the  red  and  black  species  of 
the  human  race,  and  all  other  types  over  whom  our  laws 
are  extended,  or  with  whom  we  are  brought  in  contact, 
and  who  cannot  become  a  part  of  the  body  politic  by  rea 
son  of  essential  differences  that  can  only  be  abrogated  by 
Omnipotence. 

9.  That  such  a  convention  we  believe  possible  and 
practicable ;  and  even  if  it  cannot  come  up  to  this  stand 
ard,  it  would  still  be  the  only  proper  resort;  and  should 
the  country  drift  on  into  the  breakers  of  secession  and 
civil  war,  it  can  be  THE  ONLY  ISSUE  THEREFROM  that 
would  preserve  the  principles  of  such  a  government  as 
ours  inviolate,  and  protect  the  people  from  the  manifold 
dangers  of  corruption,  violence  and  misgovernment. 

After  the  gentlemen  had  discussed  these  points  and 
embodied  them  in  writing,  it  was  suggested  that  the  pas 
sengers,  officers  and  crew  of  the  boat  be  gathered  in  the 
cabin,  the  propositions  read  to  them,  and  the  sense  of  the 
meeting  be  taken  upon  them;  and  it  was  agreed  that, 
made  up,  as  it  would  be,  of  people  of  all  classes  and  sec 
tions,  it  would  represent,  in  a  good  degree,  the  real  mind, 


198  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

heart  and  feeling  of  the  people  upon  these  questions, — 
the  sentiments  of  the  heart  of  the  west.  But  the  day 
was  now  so  far  advanced  that  it  was  thought  best  to  defer 
this  meeting  until  the  next  day,  especially  as  many  violent 
partisans  would  certainly  oppose,  from  opposite  points; 
and  to  Barrona,  Sydenham,  and,  indeed,  all  the  party,  it 
was  something  more  than  mere  amusement, — they  wished 
to  know  whether  or  not  these  sentiments  would  accord 
with  the  popular  heart.  That  they  would  please  politi 
cians  could  not  be  expected;  for  both  and  all  parties 
might  construe  something  therein  contained  into  an  attack 
upon  them,  and  so  would  oppose  and  deride  the  resolu 
tions,  and  claim  that  they  did  not  meet  the  points  at  issue, 
etc.,  etc.  But  the  party  broke  up  with  the  understanding 
that  the  voters  on  board  the  boat  should  be  appealed  to, 
the  next  morning;  and  then  Sydenham,  Barrona  and  the 
Doctor  sought  the  ladies'  cabin  in  time  to  escort  the  ladies 
out  to  supper. 

Isabella's  serene  beauty  seemed  illuminated,  and,  as 
Sydenham  gazed  upon  her,  he  felt  a  sorrow  at  his  heart 
at  the  thought  that  she  could  ever  fade  and  die.  And 
then,  with  mighty  force  and  power,  came  into  his  soul  the 
glorious  hope  of  the  Christian,  and,  after  the  supper  was 
over,  they  walked  again  upon  the  upper  deck,  until  the 
stars  came  out,  and  then  sat  down  alone,  and  gazed  into 
the  azure  heavens,  and  talked  of  the  brightness  and  glory 
of  the  future  world,  and  of  the  blessed  Savior,  and  their 
hope  in  him  in  the  future,  and  gratitude  and  love  to  God 
in  the  present  existence.  And  so  the  sweet  hours  sped 
away  until  ten  o'clock;  when,  with  a  kiss,  the  lovers  part 
ed  for  the  night,  and  then,  each  to  their  room,  to  devo 
tions,  and  then  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  XXIX  • 


F  course  the  engagement  of  Isabella  and  Syden- 
ham  was  made  known  to  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  the 
immediate  friends  of  the  family,  after  it  had  been 
assented  to  and  ratified  by  her  parents,  which  was  done 
the  next  morning,  but  in  a  very  quiet  way,  to  avoid  the 
publicity  that  otherwise  would  be  given  to  it  upon  the 
crowded  steamer.  But  both  Sydenham  and  his  friend, 
Doctor  Ross,  were  treated  as  and  understood  to  be  of  their 
traveling  party,  and  usually  escorted  the  ladies  to  the  table ; 
and  so  upon  this  morning. 

As  yet  the  dark  war-cloud  did  not  overshadow  the  land, 
and,  although  there  had  been  some  warm  political  discus 
sions  on  board  the  noble  steamer,  yet  genial  and  kindly 
influences  had  always  prevailed.  This  morning  Captain 
Scott  seemed  in  a  remarkably  good  humor,  and,  after  the 
passengers  were  seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  remarked  to 
Barrona  that  he  understood  they  were  going  to  have  a 
Union  meeting  on  board,  and,  on  being  answered  that 
they  were,  remarked  gallantly  that  he  hoped  they  would 
secure  the  influence  and  attendance  of  the  ladies;  that,  if 
they  were  for  the  Union,  the  men  would  be,  of  course. 

"  They  have  got  them  all  right,"  said  Pierre  Barrona, 
roguishly;  "  and  I  think  we  may  consider  the  Union  safe." 

Isabella  blushed  at  this  sally  of  her  brother,  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  looked  reprovingly  at  her  nephew;  but  Barrona 
replied  gravely  that  he  feared  "if  the  men  were  wrong,  the 
ladies  would  be  found  generally  in  full  sympathy  with 


200  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

their  husbands,  fathers,  brothers  and  lovers ;  and,  therefore, 
if  the  country  were  in  danger  of  civil  commotion,  the  ladies 
would  be  found  taking  sides  like  the  men.  And  men,*' 
added  he,  "  who  refuse  to  take  sides  will,  I  fear,  be  mis 
judged,  persecuted  and  despised." 

"  But,"  said  the  captain,  "  the  ladies,  from  their  natures, 
must  be  averse  and  opposed  to .  war,  should  anything  so 
terrible  as  that  ever  occur,  which  may  God  forbid." 

"  I  do  not  know  about  that,"  said  Barrona.  "  The  love 
of  war  seems  to  be  innate,  and  its  4pomp  and  circumstance' 
are  as  captivating  to  the  one  sex  as  to  the  other." 

"O,  no,  father,"  said  Isabella;  "  I  feel  sure  that  is  not, 
could  not  be  the  case  with  me,  for  I  should  think  too  much 
of  the  sufferings  of  the  unfortunate  victims,  of  the  innocent 
and  poor,  who  suffer  while  war  exists  and  after  it  ends." 

"  You  may  well  say,  *  after  it  ends/  "  said  Doctor  Ross, 
" for  the  war  ceases  not  with  the  fighting.  It  begins  then; 
and  war  suffering  follows  in  the  train  of  what  is  called 
glory." 

44  May  heaven  defend  us  from  both  the  suffering  and 
the  glory,"  said  Mrs.  Barrona. 

After  breakfast  was  over  and  the  tables  were  cleared, 
the  passengers  began  to  assemble ;  and  the  officers  and 
crew  who  were  not  on  duty  were  invited  to  join  them. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  in  due  form,  and  a  gen 
tleman  from  New  York  City  was  called  to  the  chair. 

Barrona  then  made  a  few  remarks  explaining  the  object 
of  the  meeting;  and  the  resolutions  were  then  duly  read 
and  offered  by  a  fine-looking  portly  gentleman  from  Illi 
nois,  De  Main,  who  had  assisted  in  framing  them,  and 
who  had  also  been  a  delegate  at  Charleston,  and  had  borne 
testimony  of  the  corrupt  money  influence  brought  to  bear 
there. 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  2OI 

The  chairman  then  rose  and,  claiming  the  privilege  of  a 
few  remarks,  objected  strongly  to  the  fifth  resolution,  on 
the  ground  that  it  reflected  on  the  patriotism  and  integri 
ty  of  an  eminent  gentleman  of  his  city,  who  was  his 
friend,  and  whose  character  he  considered  assailed,  and 
thereupon  he  would  ask  the  gentleman  to  strike  out  that 
resolution. 

Dr.  Ross  here  rose  and  said : 

"  I  can  assure  the  gentleman  it  was  not  intended  to  as 
sail  his  friend,  for  with  us  persons  are  nothing  and  princi 
ples  everything;  and  that  the  principle  is  sound  and  true, 
I  think  the  gentleman  himself  must  admit;  and  his  friend, 
if,  as  he  is  said  to  be,  a  man  of  high  and  pure  patriotism 
and  unblemished  integrity,  must  also,  if  candid,  admit  the 
correctness  of  the  principle,  and,  if  the  application  of  it 
reflects  upon  him,  retire  at  once  from  a  position  he  should 
never  have  accepted ;  for  I  repeat  in  the  language  of  the 
resolution,  4  That  it  is  absurd  and  grossly  improper  that 
the  oldest,  largest  and  most  powerful  political  party  in 
America  should  have  at  the  head  of  its  organization  the 
known  and  accredited  agent  of  the  house  of  Rothschild/  " 

A  murmur  of  approval  passed  through  the  assemblage ; 
and  the  chairman  rose  and  said : 

"  Gentlemen,  as  you  have  honored  me  with  the  position 
of  chairman,  of  course  it  is  not  proper  that  I  should  de 
bate,  and  I  will  only  say  that  if  the  resolution  was  not 
intended  to  be  personal,  I  withdraw  all  opposition  to  it; 
and,  indeed,  as  a  rule  of  action  in  a  general  sense,  I  heart 
ily  concur,  and  am  obliged  to  the  gentleman  for  the  sug 
gestion,  for,  when  I  reflect  upon  it,  I  am  astonished  that 
such  a  thing  ivas  ever  done." 

Barrona.  "For  one,  I  thank  the  gentleman  most 
sincerely  for  his  acquiescence  and  his  candor,  and  earnestly 


2O2  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

hope  that  perfect  candor  and  disregard  of  the  trammels  of 
party  may,  in  this  little  assemblage  of  fellow-travelers, 
for  once  prevail;  for,  even  the  memory  of  it  may,  in  fu 
ture,  days  be  pleasant." 

A  gentleman  from  Ohio  here  rose  and  said : 
"  Mr.  Chairman,  with  all  proper  respect  for  the  gentle 
man  who  prepared  these  resolutions,  which  in  the  main 
I  approve,  I  must  say  that  I  think  in  the  second  resolution 
the  great  party  to  which  I  belong  is  reflected  upon,  and, 
if  they  belong  to  the  same  party,  as  I  am  told  most  of 
them  do,  I  think  it  strange  that  they  should  give  such  a 
weapon  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  as  a  charge  that 
corruption  (through  the  use  of  money  for  purposes  of 
bribery)  existed  in  the  convention  at  Charleston.  I,  for 
one,  do  not  believe  it,  and  even  if  it  were  true,  cannot  see 
what  good  can  come  of  publishing  it  to  the  world." 

Sydenham.  "  Mr.  Chairman,  I  object,  in  toto,  to  some 
of  the  gentleman's  views.  He  speaks  of  '  the  great  party 
to  which  he  belongs]  and  of  the  party  to  which  we  belong. 
Now,  with  all  due  respect  for  the  gentleman,  I  object  to 
that  expression,  at  least  for  myself;  for,  while  I  am  wil 
ling  to  act  with  that  party  which  I  think  right,  or  nearest 
right,  I  am  not  willing  to  belong  to  any  party  whatever; 
and  this  thing,  of  a  man  owing  fealty  to  a  -party,  is,  it 
seems  to  me,  an  error ;  and  it  is  also  an  evil  that  should  be 
abated, — banished  forever.  The  question  strikes  me 
very  differently,  and  I  would,  first  of  all,  wish  to  know 
if  it  is  true  (and  we  have  positive  evidence  that  it  is) ; 
secondly,  if  true,  it  is  a  -public  danger  that  menaces 
the  whole  country,  and  may  effect  any  and  all  parties. 
Then,  too,  if  it  is  kept  concealed,  it  is  far  more 
dangerous  in  every  sense  than  if  known;  for,  if 
known,  a  remedy  may  be  applied.  But  I  am  ready  to 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WEST. 


203 


admit  that,  in  the  application  of  this  remedy,  some  judg 
ment  should  be  used;  and,  of  course,  in  times  of  high 
political  excitement,  opposing  parties  are  too  ready  to 
seize  every  opportunity  to  injure  an  opponent,  without  re 
gard  to  truth,  or  the  real  interests  of  the  country,  or  to 
healthy  political  action  for  the  benefit  of  all.  But  this 
little  meeting  is  not  designed  to  be  a  political  party  meet 
ing,  conducted  by  politicians  seeking  office,  but  a  meeting 
of  citizens,  seeking  only  the  right,  the  true,  and  the 
healthy  transaction  of  the  public  business  of  the  country, 
for  the  country's  good;  and  before  such  a  meeting,  all 
parties  may  be  properly  called  to  an  account;  and,  if  gross 
corruption  exists  in  any  party,  it  must  be  extirpated  as 
soon  as  practicable,  or  that  party  will  be  ruined,  and,  of 
course,  by  its  ruin  the  opposition  would  come  into  power. 
It  is  not  necessary,  always,  to  publish  a  wrong  to  the 
world,  but  it  is  always  necessary,  and  a  duty,  to  right  it 
if  it  can  be  righted.  That  corruption,  in  some  form,  will 
creep  into  any  party  is  expected,  and  the  party  that  covers, 
conceals  and  protects  it  will  (or  ought  to)  lose  power, 
while  the  one  that  is  known  to  extirpate  it  will  not  be  the 
loser  by  so  doing.  We  do  not  propose  to  give  the  wea 
pons  for  this  extirpation  to  the  enemy  to  overthrow  us, 
but  to  use  them  ourselves,  that  he  may  not  overthrow  us, 
for  the  party  will  be  stronger  after  being  purged  of  this 
villainy  than  before." 

The  correctness  of  this  position  being  conceded  they 
were  about  to  vote  upon  the  resolutions,  when  a  northern 
radical  took  the  floor,  and  harangued  the  meeting  with 
mighty  voice  and  violent  gesticulation  for  an  hour,  oppos 
ing  the  resolutions  He  was  followed  by  his  anti-type,  a 
radical  lire-eating  secessionist,  for  another  hour,  who,  like 
his  predecessor,  succeeded  in  inflaming  the  passions  of  his 


204  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

auditory  to  a  high  pitch.  He,  too,  opposed  the  resolu 
tions.  When  he  finished,  Barrona  spoke  for  twenty 
minutes.  The  resolutions  were  then  read  again,  by  request, 
and  adopted,  amid  great  applause,  by  nine-tenths  of  the 
meeting,  which  then  adjourned,  just  as  the  steward  came 
in  to  arrange  the  tables  for  dinner.  But  before  the  meet 
ing  dispersed,  Capt.  Scott  proposed  three  cheers  for  a 
National  Constitutional  Convention,  which  were  given 
with  an  energy  that  drowned  the  noise  of  the  engines,  and 
made  the  echoes  of  the  forest  ring  again. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

'HE  boat  was  now  nearing  St.  Louis,  which  city 
the  captain  expected  to  reach  by  4  o'clock  P.  M. 
Meantime,  after  dinner,  political  discussion  went 
on  in  groups  all  over  the  boat;  and  cohserrative  sentiments 
dominated.  But  yet,  as  few  or  none  could  look  into  the 
future  and  foresee  the  gathering  tempest  of  civil  war,  so 
few  seemed  to  realize  the  full  measure  of  the  propriety  and 
necessity  of  a  National  Constitutional  Convention  —  the 
ark  of  the  covenant.  The  so-called  statesmen — leaders  of 
political  parties — had  not  presented  this  measure,  nor  urged 
it,  so  only  a  few  analytical  thinkers  saw  in  it  the  cap-stone 
of  the  great  structure  of  free  constitutional  government, 
reared  in  America,  under  the  Providence  of  God,  by  the 
men  of  the  Revolution. 

Nor  could  it  be  expected  that  it  should  be  otherwise ; 
for  the  ship  of  state  had  floated  so  grandly  in  the  ordinary 
channel,  that  only  those  who  saw  an  extraordinary  crisis 
could  be  expected  to  look  for  this  extraordinary  channel, 
laid  down  in  the  original  charts  by  men  whose  voices  are 
no  longer  heard  on  earth.* 

*  Washington,  in  his  Farewell  Address,  evidently  alludes  to  this  resort;  and 
Jefferson  says  substantially  that  "foreigners  have  an  idea  that  the  States  ore  sub 
ordinate  to  the  Federal  Government."  This,  he  says,  "  is  an  error;  that  they 
are  not  subordinate  but  co-ordinate  branches  of  one  great  whole;  that  usually 
the  mutual  interest  and  gx>od  sense  of  the  people  of  the  States  and  the  nation 
will  be  sufficient  to  preserve  the  harmony  of  government,  but  that,  tvhen  these 
restraining  influences  are  not  sufficient,  then  a  convention  of  all  the  States  must 
be  held."  And,  in  the  convention  that  formed  the  constitution,  there  was  a  party 


206  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

Moreover,  the  long  rule  of  partisanship  and  sectionalism, 
each  operating  in  different  ways,  like  counter  currents 
wearing  away  an  island  in  the  Mississippi,  had  reduced 
the  amount  of  true  national  sentiment  and  kindly  regard 
by  the  people  of  different  States  for  the  other,  and  that 
community  of  interests  upon  which  it  reposed,  the  people 
were  made  to  believe,  did  not  exist ;  and  so  the  true  senti 
ment  of  nationality  was  reduced  to  so  low  a  level  that  the 
country  was  ready  for  civil  war,  when  pride,  fanaticism 
and  ambition  joined,  and  a  combination  of  unfortunate 
circumstances  favored. 

But  these  views  were  not  held  by  the  little  circle  of 
gentlemen  referred  to.  They  were  full  of  anxiety,  but 
hope  prevailed.  Although  they  believed  the  so-called 
Republican  party  contained  the  germ  of  mighty  evils,  like 
Pandora's  box,  and  which  might  be  strewed,  far  and  wide, 
making  a  wreck  of  much  that  was  good,  and  jeopardizing 
all,  yet  they  believed,  also,  that  it  contained  some  good 
elements,  and  they  hoped  that  these  would  prevail. 

Barrona  was  sanguine  that  if  the  Republican  party 
elected  their  candidate,  the  leading  men  of  all  parties 
would  form  a  patriotic  union,  and  that  a  National  Consti 
tutional  Convention  would  result;  whereas,  if  either  the 
Democratic  or  Union  (Bell  and  Everett)  parties  were  suc 
cessful,  secession  would  have  no  force  or  strength  to  effect 
any  harm ;  that  it  would  practically  be  a  "  dead  cock  in 
the  pit,"  and  all  would  be  well. 


who  thought  this  bond  of  Union  (mutual  interest,  good  will,  etc.)  was  not  suffl 
cient;  and  it  was  proposed  to  give  the  Federal  Government  the  power  of  the 
sword.  This  was  refused ;  but  especial  careful  and  far-seeing  provision  was 
made  for  the  convocation  of  all  the  States  in  a  National  Constitutional  Conven  - 
tion.  Evidence  might  be  multiplied ;  but  almost  every  intelligent,  unbiassed 
man,  then  and  now,  would  be  a  witness  that  it  is  in  harmony  with  the  whole 
spirit  and  structure  of  our  government. 


THE    HEART  OF  THE   WEST. 


207 


So,  in  this  way,  care  was  banished,  and  the  approaching 
union  of  his  daughter  with  the  man  of  her  heart  was  un 
clouded  by  aught  to  mar  its  happiness;  and,  yielding  to 
the  solicitation  of  Sydenham,  it  had  been  arranged  that  the 
nuptials  should  take  place  at  St.  Paul,  within  a  week  after 
their  arrival  there. 

The  full  and  generous  soul  of  Isabella  reflected  itself 
upon  all  with  whom  she  was  associated,  and  brightened 
the  social  circle  of  the  cabin ;  and,  observ  ing  the  hard  and 
scanty  fare  of  the  deck  passengers,  and  thoughtful  for  their 
comfort,  she  had  quietly  made  arrangements  with  the 
steward  (first  obtaining  Captain  Scott's  consent)  to  send 
them  a  bountiful  meal,  each  day,  from  the  cabin ;  and  the 
deck  crew  were  also  the  recipients  of  luxuries  through  her, 
for  the  gallant  old  veteran,  Captain  Scott,  and  her  father, 
would  deny  her  nothing. 

As  for  Sydenham,  he  had  sometimes  thought,  during 
the  trip,  that  he  must  be  under  a  spell  of  enchantment, — 
in  enchanted  land,  his  happiness  was  so  supreme,  in  the 
presence  of  his  affianced  and  the  circle  of  such  sincere  and 
appreciative  friends,  so  new  a  thing  to  him.  The  religious 
element,  always  strong  in  him,  seemed  now  fairly  at  flood- 
tide,  and  his  soul  seemed  exalted  into  a  new  and  glorious 
existence.  If  dark  and  scowling  glances  of  envy  or  suspi 
cion  were  directed  toward  him,  he  never  saw  them :  he 
saw  only  the  trusting,  confiding  countenances  of  friends, 
and  Isabella ;  and,  in  the  quiet  of  his  little  room,  his  soul 
went  out  to  God  in  grateful  prayer. 

And  now  the  trip  of  the  Constellation  is  about  to  end, 
and  the  city  of  St.  Louis  is  in  sight.  Stretching  along  the 
great  river  for  many  miles,  and  back  upon  the  hills  and 
slopes  of  Missouri,  she  sits  a  queen — a  "River  Queen." 
Chicago  may  claim  justly  to  be  the  queen  of  the  lakes, 


208  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

and  boast  her  Briarean  arms  of  her  railways,  but  St. 
Louis  has  the  rivers  for  her  portion,  and  in  this  regard  her 
domain  cannot  be  surpassed  upon  this  earth.  As  the 
steamer  approached  the  city,  the  passengers  came  out  upon 
the  guards,  and  looked  upon  the  panorama  of  life  and 
commerce,  outspread  upon  their  left,  and  upon  the  river 
above  them.  Long  lines  of  steamers  of  various  classes 
lined  the  levee,  from  every  part  of  the  great  valley  of  the 
western  continent — from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the 
Alleghanies,  and  from  St.  Paul  to  New  Orleans.  And 
besides  the  great  main  arteries  of  this  vast  rivc-r  system  of 
the  continent,  the  secondary  tributaries  were  also  repre 
sented.  Steamers  from  the  Illinois,  the  Tennessee,  the 
Cumberland,  the  Red,  the  Arkansas,  and  many  other 
minor  tributaries,  lay  side  by  side  with  those  from  the 
Lower  and  Upper  Mississippi,  the  Missouri  and  Ohio 
rivers.  And  now  the  boat  is  landed,  and  the  press  and 
bustle  of  metropolis  is  heard  and  felt;  the  staging  is  ad 
justed,  and  the  passengers  walk  ashore.  And  now  follow 
four  or  five  days  of  city-life,  and,  of  course,  preparations 
for  that  coming  event  which  is  to  be  celebrated  at  St. 
Paul.  And  here  we  will  close  the  chapter,  and  in  no  way 
obtrude  upon  the  secrets  of  the  toilet;  and  we  will  ask 
our  lady  readers  to  accompany  our  heroine,  in  imagination, 
in  these  various  details  of  shopping,  &c.,  to  which  our 
pen  can  in  no  way  do  justice. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

FTER  spending  one  day  in  visiting  objects  of  inter 
est  in  St.  Louis,  in  company  with  the  Barrona  fam 
ily,  Sydenham  was  to  take  the  evening  packet  for 
Rock  Island,  where  he  had  some  business  to  transact, 
intending  to  rejoin  them  on  the  steamer  upon  which  they 
would  ascend  the  Upper  Mississippi  when  she  would 
arrive  at  that  point. 

Mrs.  Johnson  had  advised  against  so  early  a  marriage 
of  Isabella  and  Sydenham,  and  insisted  that  it  would  be 
more  proper  to  defer  it  until  the  winter,  and  have  it  take 
place  at  home  in  Louisiana.  But  Sydenham's  ardent 
solicitation,  that  it  be  not  deferred,  to  which,  finally,  Isa 
bella  timidly  assented,  at  last  overcame  all  opposition. 
And  now  that  they  were  about  to  part  for  only  a  few  days, 
and  be  separated  only  by  a  few  hundred  miles,  the  open- 
souled  girl  could  in  no  way  disguise  her  feelings  of  appre 
hension  for  his  safety,  and  told  her  mother,  to  whom  she 
confided  all  her  thoughts,  that  she  was  glad  she  had  refused 
to  delay  their  marriage,  as  her  aunt  wished. 

The  Doctor  now  found  himself  in  a  new  position;  for, 
as  Barrona  had  business  in  St.  Louis  that  took  up  about 
all  of  his  time,  the  Doctor  felt  bound  to  escort  the  ladies 
on  all  their  shopping  and  other  excursions,  at  least  the 
first  ones.  But  the  gallant  Doctor  entered  into  this  new 
line  of  business  with  great  zeal,  and  with  a  full  sense  of 
the  responsibility  resting  upon  him;  and  the  lovely  widow 
smiled  archly  as  she  witnessed  his  heroic  efforts  to  do  all 


210  THE   HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

that  could  possibly  be  expected,  and  to  meet  every  require 
ment.  On  one  evening  the  whole  party  attended  the  the 
ater,  and  witnessed  the  charming  play  of  the  Lady  of 
Lyons,  greatly  to  the  delight  of  Isabella  and  the  younger 
members  of  the  family,  though,  indeed,  it  was  about 
equally  enjoyed  by  all.  Before  the  last  day,  the  Doctor 
paid  a  visit  to  a  friend,  a  few  miles  out  on  the  "  Iron  Moun 
tain  Railroad,"  and  so  was  absent  from  the  party  during 
a  portion  of  their  stay  in  St.  Louis.  But  he  returned  on 
Saturday  evening,  and  accompanied  them  to  public  wor 
ship  on  the  Sabbath.  And  then,  on  Monday  at  four 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  party  took  passage  for  St.  Paul  on  the 
fine  steamer  Northern  Belle.  Before  the  boat  started, 
Barrona  telegraphed  to  Sydenham,  according  to  previous 
arrangement,  and  Isabella,  looking  on  as  he  was  writing 
the  despatch  in  the  cabin,  asked  for  the  pencil,  and  wrote 
her  name  under  her  father's,  asking  him  if  he  would 
please  see  that  the  operator  repeated  both  names. 

"Why,  my  child,  this  is  nonsense,"  said  Barrona,  "and 
will  cause  remark." 

"  Dear  father,"  said  Isabella,  "  indulge  me  in  this,  for, 
as  I  could  not  write  him,  and  have  never  sent  him  any 
message,  what  could  be  more  proper  than  that  I  should 
send  him  one  first  by  the  lightning's  flash.  It  was  through 
the  fire  that  we  first  met  and  became  acquainted,  and  what 
could  be  more  appropriate." 

Her  father  smiled  and  gave  her  his  consent;  but  her 
mother  looked  gravely  on  and  said  : 

"  I  hope,  my  dear  daughter,  it  will  not  prove  to  be  an 
omen  of  evil,  for  certainly  it  is  unusual." 

"Dear  mother,"  said  Isabella,  "I  know  nothing  of 
omens;  but  it  cannot  be  wrong  to  use  the  telegraph  for 
such  messages  any  more  than  for  business." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  211 

But  in  the  years  that  followed,  when  their  heart-strings 
were  wrung  by  swift,  unutterable  woe,  when  civil  war 
spread  its  dark  pall  over  the  land,  the  circumstance  was 
recalled,  but  the  recollection  caused  no  pain,  but  rather 
soothed  grief;  for  it  was  not  the  outgrowth  of  folly,  or 
vanity,  but  of  love  and  truth ;  and,  if  it  prefigured  destiny, 
the  warning  was  kindly  and  salutary. 

And  now  the  beautiful  steamer  for  the  north  backed 
out  from  the  levee,  and  the  party  went  upon  the  hurri 
cane  deck  to  have  the  better  view  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
city.  The  steamer  held  her  course  just  outside  the  long 
line  of  boats  that  lined  the  city  front;  and  it  was  highly 
interesting  to  observe  these  various  boats  (the  representa 
tives  of  a  vast  interior  commerce)  and  the  people  upon 
them.  St.  Louis  is  built  almost  entirely  of  brick,  and  a 
very  good  view  of  it  may  be  had  from  the  river,  along 
which  it  extends  much  farther  than  it  does  back  from  the 
river.  At  present,  intercourse  with  the  east  side  is  kept 
up  by  means  of  ferry  boats;  but  doubtles,  a  bridge,  for  the 
passage  of  railway  trains,  will  soon  be  finished,  although 
the  work  will  be  one  of  great  magnitude  and  difficulty. 
The  city  is  soon  left  behind,  but  the  turbid  flood  is  enli 
vened  by  numerous  steamers  ascending  and  descending 
the  river. 

The  first  point  of  special  interest,  above  the  city,  is  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri ;  which  the  party  did  not  wait  for 
upon  the  upper  deck,  but  went  down  to  the  after-guards, 
and  there  took  their  seats  to  wait  until  it  was  passed ;  and 
then  Alton;  and  then,  just  before  the  gathering  twilight, 
the  captain  of  the  boat  pointed  out,  by  special  request, 
the  locality  of  the  famed  "  Piasa  rock"  and  cave,  in  the  cliffs 
that  line  the  river  above  Alton.  Here  tradition  has  pre 
served  the  record  of  one  of  those  surviving  monsters  of 


212  THE   HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

an  earlier  age,  some  of  which  seem  to  have  existed  until 
man  came  upon  the  stage;  and  a  cave  filled  with  bones 
was  shown  by  the  Indians,  and  a  rude  painting  on  the 
tall  cliffs  marked  the  spot  embalmed  in  tradition  as  the 
scene  of  an  heroic,  self-sacrificing  deed  and  a  great  deliv 
erance.  As  runs  the  tradition : 

Many  hundred  (or  thousand)  moons  before  the  white 
men  came,  a  monster  bird,  called  by  them  the  Piasa,*  of 
fearful  ferocity,  size  and  power,  had  his  haunts  in  these 
clhTs,  and  devoured  his  prey  in  the  cave  near  the  creek, 
which  to  this  day  bears  the  name  of  Piasa.  The  monster 
was  far  more  terrible  than  any  of  which  tradition  gives 
any  account,  and  destroyed  great  numbers  of  Indians,  as 
well  as  deer,  buffalo,  etc.,  which  he  carried  to  the  cave, 
and  there  devoured.  All  attempts  to  destroy  him  failed, 
until  finally  a  young  brave,  in  a  lofty  spirit  of  patriotism, 
proposed  a  plan,  and  offered  himself  as  a  victim  to  secure 
its  success. 

Accordingly,  he  was  placed  in  an  exposed  position  near 
the  cave,  where  the  monster  would  see  and  swoop  down 
upon  him,  while  near  by  lay  concealed  in  ambush  a  chosen 
band  of  warriors.  The  monster  returned  from  a  distant 
flight  across  the  great  rivers,  and  seeing  the  Indian  perched 
upon  a  rocK  near  his  den,  swooped  down  in  fury  to  des 
troy  him.  Like  the  thunder  was  the  sound  of  his  wings, 
and  like  the  lightning  the  fierce  flashes  from  his  eyes. 
But  just  before  the  mighty  talons  grasped  the  young  brave, 
the  Great  Spirit  interposed  an  invisible  shield  over  him, 
and  a  shower  of  arrows,  from  the  "concealed  warriors, 
pierced  the  Piasa  so  that  he  rolled  upon  the  earth  and 
died,  while  the  hero  escaped  unharmed;  and,  in  com 
memoration  of  this  great  event,  the  tribe,  with  solemn 

*  Piasa,  in  the  language  of  this  tribe,  signified  Devil  Bird. 


THE    HEART   OP   THE   WEST.  213 

ceremonies,  executed  the  rude  painting  upon  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  fronting  the  great  Father  of  Waters. . 

All  listened  with  intense  interest  to  this  interesting  relic 
of  the  shadowy  history  of  the  early  ages  of  this  continent, 
that  should  as  much  be  preserved  in  our  literature  as  those 
of  ancient  Greece  or  Rome,  or  the  story  of  St.  George 
and  the  dragon,  but  which  will  soon  have  passed  into 
oblivion,  unless  rescued  by  some  true  lover  of  the  shadowy 
and  romantic  legends  of  the  past,  and  of  real  history  and 
science.  For  the  evidence  that  much  of  this  tradition  is 
veritable  truth,  is  remarkable,  in  the  bones  in  the  cave, 
(in  enormous  quantities  within  the  memory  of  white  men) 
the  painting  on  the  rock,and  in  geology  and  natural  science.* 

It  was  now  dark,  and  the  party  withdrew  to  the  cabin 
to  .listen  to  some  music  from  Isabella,  her  cousin  and 
others,  for  there  was  a  large  company  on  board  from 
Cincinnati,  Louisville,  Pittsburg,  St.  Louis  and  the  south. 
This  entertainment  over,  and  another  hour  spent  in  social 
intercourse,  and  most  of  the  company  retired.  But  Isa 
bella  sat  musing  in  her  room  upon  the  heroic  chief  of  the 
primitive  age;  and,  drawing  a  parallel  in  her  mind,  be 
tween  him  and  her  absent  lover;  and  then  she  shuddered 
at  that  a1  wful  peril  of  a  fiery  death ;  and  then  her  heart 
glowed  with  joy  and  gratitude 

"That  Heaven  had  sent  her  such  a  man;" 
and  so,  with  a  full  heart  and  soul,  she  went  to  her  silent 
devotions,  and  then  to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep,  until  hours 
had  passed. 

*  NOTE.— See  Dana's  "  Text-Book  of  Geology,"  pages  172,  182,  183,  201,  230, 
231,  239,  241.  The  early  settlers  of  Alton,  111.,  well  recollect  this  famed 
"  Piasa"  rock,  with  the  traces  of  an  ancient,  rude  painting-  representing  the 
monster,  as  also  the  cave  in  which  were  quantities  of  bones  of  animals,  said 
by  the  Indians  to  have  been  carried  there  by  him.  Why  our  antiquarians  and 
men  of  science  have  given  such  interesting  facts  so  little  attention  is  indeed 
singular. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

N  board  the  "  Northern  Belle,"  politics  was  again 
the  absorbing  topic  of  discussion,  and,  as  on  the 
other  boat,  all  shades  of  opinion  were  represented. 
Barrona  and  Doctor  Ross  took  an  active  part  in  these  dis 
cussions,  and  their  views  were  not  generally  well  received 
by  those  on  board  who  talked  politics  the  most;  but  an 
appeal  to  the  voters  on  board  resulted  much  the  same 
as  on  the  New  Orleans  boat,  only  that  being  a  stranger 
to  the  captain  the  same  friendly  influence  from  that  quar 
ter  was  not  exercised,  and  the  majority  was  not  so  over 
whelming,  though  still  large.  One  gentleman  from 
Cincinnati  seemed  especially  impressed  with  the  import 
ance  of  a  National  Constitutional  Convention,  and  of  the 
necessity  for  abating  the  wild  rush  of  fanaticism,  section 
alism  and  partisanship;  and,  on  the  morning  after  the 
discussion  was  had,  and  vote  taken,  he  handed  to  Doctor 
Ross  a  paper  he  had  prepared,  and  which  read  as  follows : 

"  1776  AND  1860. 

"  The  men  of  the  Revolution  were  not  confident,  self- 
sufficient  men;  they  were  men  who,  while  they  learned 
from  the  wisdom  of  the  past,  were  practical  in  the  present, 
and  far-sighted  in  the  future.  Governed  by  principle  and 
firm  convictions  of  duty,  they  seldom  yielded  to  the  syren 
of  expediency.  Constant  and  firm  of  purpose,  they  possess 
ed  RviAj  of  that  stupid  obstinacy  which,  once  embarked 
in  a  certain  course,  adheres  to  it,  right  or  wrong.  Wash 
ington  possessed  these  high  qualities  in  the  most  eminent 


THE   HEART   OF  THE   WEST.  215 

degree.  Forming  his  opinions  from  established  facts, 
constantly  and  reverently  asking  divine  aid  and  guidance, 
and  viewing  things  as  they  are;  firm  in  his  integrity, 
constant  as  the  stars,  he  governed  his  life  by  a  few  simple 
rules  that  were  in  harmony  with  his  character  and  posi 
tion,  and  with  the  principles  of  Christianity,  and  true 
manhood  and  patriotism.  His  path  was  the  path  of  duty 
and  of  honor,  not  the  wild  comet,  flying  through  the 
wide  realms  of  space,  carrying  dismay  and  terror,  but  the 
planet,  careering  steadily  onward  in  its  orbit,  governed  by 
fixed  laws,  and  swerved  not  from  truth  and  right  by  any 
wild  impulses  of  ambition  or  erratic  instincts  of  passion 
or  of  fancy.  Far  different  is  it  now  with  the  great  major 
ity  of  the  public  men.  They  do  not  enquire, '  Is  this  course 
right?  will  it  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  country?' 
but,  '  Will  it  win?'  Washington's  noble  rule  that  'to  men 
on  earth  it  belongs  to  deserve  success,  not  to  secure  it,'  has 
been  exactly  reversed,  and  the  modern  theorist,  philoso 
pher,  or  demagogue,  as  the  case  may  be,  shouts,  '  To  secure 
success  is  a  duty!'  and  priests  and  people  say,  Amen.  The 
flood-gates  are  then  open  for  violence  and  fraud.  Hypoc 
risy  robs  sincerity  of  her  garments;  vice  snatches  the 
sword  of  virtue,  and  stalks  through  the  land;  justice  no 
longer  wields  power;  her  seat  is  usurped  by  policy,  and 
passion,  attended  by  a  crowd  of  time-servers,  fills  up  all 
the  channels  of  public  opinion.  Meantime,  our  politi 
cians,  instead  of  seeking  faithfully  the  true  path  of  recti 
tude,  and  conscientious  performance  of  duty,  are  diligently 
watching  the  horizon  to  see  from  which  quarter  the  wind 
of  popular  favor  will  blow,  intending  to  trim  their  sails 
accordingly;  while  'public  opinion,'  in  turn,  is,  peihaps, 
influenced  by  a  few  well-prepared,  lawyer-like  speeches, 
or  newspaper  articles,  or  lying  '  statistics/  A  vitiated  or 


2l6  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

corrupt  press  can  work  untold  evil,  (until  known  to  be 
such)  and  fully  verifies  the  old  adage  that  « a  lie  will  go  a 
thousand  leagues  while  truth  is  putting  on  his  boots.' 
We  hope  great  things  from  the  press  for  good ;  but  we 
must  not  forget  that  it  has  also  a  fearful  power  for  evil, 
and  when  steam  was  applied  to  the  art  of  printing,  error 
stood  ready  to  use  it  first.  And  so  it  has  been.  Bold 
pretenders  are  everywhere ;  the  trade  of  the  reformer  will 
now  be  good.  The  profession  of  philanthropy,  philoso 
phy  and  humanity  will  now  be  profitable.  Religion,  be 
trayed  and  perverted  by  corrupt  priests,  will  be  taken 
from  the  service  of  Christ  and  harnessed  to  the  car  of 
politics.  Hypocrisy  will  thrive;  rant,  cant  and  fustian, 
will  pass  current  as  pure  gold.  There  will  be  a  fearful 
plowing  and  harrowing,  nominally  in  the  interest  of  vir 
tue,  religion  and  truth ;  but  when  the  crop  has  ripened, 
the  fruit  will  betray  the  vile  seed;  for  God's  laws  of 
reproduction  are  immutable,  in  the  moral,  as  in  the  phys 
ical  world,  and  cannot  be  cheated." 

The  little  group  before  whom  this  short  paper  was 
read  sat  silent  for  some  moments  after  its  reading  was 
concluded.  At  length  a  gentleman  from  Indiana  spoke : 

"  Evidently,  the  writer  of  this  has  not  a  good  opinion 
of  his  own  times,  and,  it  seems  to  me,  is  somewhat  ruth 
less  in  running  the  plow-share  through  everything  that 
most  men  revere." 

"  I  yield  to  none,"  said  the  Cincinnati  man,  "  in  rever- 
erence  for  the  good  and  true,  but  I  think  it  right,  in  view 
of  the  fallibility  and  error  in  all  human  affairs,  to  apply  to 
the  test  from  Holy  Writ :  '  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know 
them ;'  and  in  this  way  I  conclude  that  much  is  error  that 
passes  current  for  truth,  and  error  of  the  most  infernal  kind." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  but,  in  trying  to  uproot  error, 


THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST.  217 

you  will  tear  up  truth  too ;  you  should  remember  the  para 
ble  of  our  Savior,  and  leave  the  tares  with  the  wheat  until 
harvest,  lest,  in  seeking  to  get  rid  of  one,  you  destroy  both." 

"  The  beauty,  force  and  truth  of  that  illustration  we 
admire,"  replied  Cincinnati,  "  but  must  bear  in  mind  that 
it  relates  to  future  judgment,  under  God's  government, 
and  not  to  the  present  duty  of  opposing  error ;  moreover, 
in  its  application,  we  can  remember  that  all  fields  of  grain 
are  not  wheat-fields,  nor  are  all  situations  of  error  alike. 
In  our  corn-fields,  we  plow  up  the  weeds  and  leave  the 
corn,  and  so  secure  a  good  crop,  which  otherwise  the 
weeds  would  destroy  or  render  unfruitful;  the  corn  being 
planted  in  exact  rows  and  hills,  renders  this  possible, 
which  would  not  be  with  wheat  sown  broadcast.  So  in 
our  most  highly-favored  age  and  country ;  with  the  benign 
light  of  Christianity,  and  the  straight  rows  of  well-estab 
lished  society,  constitutional  government  and  science,  we 
should  be  able,  by  peaceful  beneficent  constitutional  means, 
to  cultivate  truth,  and  subdue  errors  and  hypocrisies  in 
public  affairs ;  and  so  now  we  should  resort  to  the  peaceful 
means  of  a  constitutional  convention,  and  so  cultivate 
the  field,  rather  than  endorse  '  Helper's  Crisis/  and  so  risk 
the  tearing  up  and  destruction  of  the  whole  crop,  truth  and 
error  included;  for  the  danger  is  that  this  violence  and 
perversion  of  truth  may  bring  on  civil  war,  and,  though 
the  forms  of  our  grand  government  might  last  for  a  time 
in  spite  of  so  rude  a  shock,  yet  it  would  certainly  jeopar 
dize  its  vital  principle,  which  is  the  mutual  interest  and 
good  will  of  the  people,  which  should  be  maintained  by 
kind  and  honorable  dealing  between  the  different  sections/' 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,"  replied  the  gentleman  from 
Indiana;  "  but  I  think  you  over-estimate  the  danger." 

Here  the  bell  rang  for  dinner,  and  the  discussion  ended. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

'E  have  said  that  the  company  on  board  this 
northern-bound  steamer  was  large  It  was  also 
brilliant  and  fashionable. 
Isabella,  as  we  have  said,  was  no  devotee  of  fashion; 
but  yet  she  was  not  at  all  dazzled,  blinded  or  confused  by 
the  style  and  tone  of  fashionable  society,  but  quite  at  her 
ease  and  self-possessed,  as  if  among  her  own  chosen 
friends  at  home.  And  she  soon  had  many  friends  and 
some  admirers. 

On  board  the  boat  was  a  certain  handsome  and  fashion 
able  gentleman  from  New  York,  of  very  great  wealth, 
and  quite  a  lion  in  society.  This  gentleman  was  acquain 
ted  with  some  St.  Louis  and  Louisiana  people,  with  whom 
Barrona  was  acquainted,  and  so  was  introduced  to  him, 
and  by  him  to  his  family  and  to  Isabella,  to  whom  he  at 
once  showed  great  attention,  which  she  received  as  a  mat 
ter  of  courtesy,  and  showed  a  gentle  courtesy  in  return. 
But  Mr.  Bell,  for  that  was  the  gentleman's  name,  meant 
more  than  courtesy,  and  could  not  understand  Isabella's 
manner  on  any  other  hypothesis  than  that  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  find  current,  that  is,  that  the  ladies  were 
ready  and  willing  to  be  captivated  by  his  fine  person,  tal 
ents,  polished  manners  and  immense  fortune;  and  Isabella 
was  so  ingenuous  and  true  that  she  could  not  think  of 
anything  of  this  kind.  But  he  was  too  discerning  not  to 
soon  see  through  his  error;  yet  this  only  fascinated  him 
the  more.  Great,  then,  was  his  chagrin  when  he  learned 


THE   HEART   OF   THE   WEST.  219 

that  this  "Pearl  of  the  So«th,"  as  he  called  her,  had 
given  her  heart,  and  was  soon  to  give  her  hand,  to  a  north 
ern  raftsman,  whose  whole  fortune  did  not  amount  to  hrs 
income  for  a  single  month.  His  resolution  was  at  once 
taken :  he  determined  to  win  this  southern  girl  if  money 
could  do  it;  and  he  cultivated  a  close  acquaintance  at 
once  with  Barrona.  But  Barrona  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  world  and  with  men  not  to  see  through  his 
design,  and,  yielding  to  his  friendly  advances,  was  soon 
on  terms  that  he  could  with  propriety  speak  of  his  daugh 
ter's  engagement  and  of  Sydenham,  in  terms  that  closed 
the  door  forever  against  further  advances  in  that  direction. 
Isabella,  in  a  state  of  joyous  anticipation  and  impatience, 
in  the  expectation  of  soon  meeting  again  her  lover,  did 
not  dream  of  the  conquest  she  had  made,  and  treated  Mr. 
Bell,  as  she  did  all  her  other  acquaintances,  with  genial 
courtesy  and  freedom.  In  this  frame  of  mind,  on  the 
second  evening  after  leaving  St.  Louis,  she  accepted  Mr. 
Bell's  invitation  to  walk  on  the  hurricane  deck.  Glowing 
with  the  thought  of  seeing  him  who  filled  her  thoughts 
on  the  next  morning,  she  was  gay  and  joyous,  and  talked 
with  vivacity  and  interest.  With  consummate  tact,  and 
using  all  his  great  conversational  powers,  he  turned  the 
conversation  upon  everything  splendid,  rich  and  grand, 
in  America  and  Europe,  upon  all  the  delights  and  splen 
dors  of  Paris,  the  grandeur  of  Rome,  the  beautiful  land 
of  Spain,  (her  mother's  birthplace)  the  classic  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean,  the  grandeur  of  courts,  the  treasures 
of  art  and  genius,  and  all,  in  short,  that  unbounded  and 
well-used  wealth  could  command.  To  all  this  Isabella 
listened  with  the  greatest  interest  and  pleasure,  and  she 
did  not  conceal  her  admiration  in  the  slightest,  either  of  the 
subjects  or  of  the  splendid  conversational  powers  of  this 


220  THE    HEART   OF  THE    WEST. 

elegant  and  handsome  stranger;  for  she  really  was  greatly 
interested  and  delighted,  just  as  she  would  have  been  in 
hearing  a  fine  actor  declaim  from  the  stage.  He  then 
went  on  to  describe  how  he  had  longed  to  fit  out  a  splendid 
steam  yacht,  whose  cabins  should  be  gorgeous  as  a  fairy 
tale,  whose  strength  and  speed  set  danger  at  defiance,  and 
in  it  to  sail  for  England,  then  France,  then  Spain,  thence 
to  Italy,  thence  to  Greece,  Egypt,  Constantinople  and  the 
shores  of  Palestine. 

44  Ah,"  said  Isabella,  "  that  would  be  most  delightful 
and  grand,  indeed,  to  see  all  that  is  so  interesting,  rare 
and  wonderful  on  the  earth;  and  I  almost  envy  you  the 
trip." 

"  You  need  riot,"  said  Bell,  "  for  I  would  be  too  mis 
erable  to  be  envied,  unless  I  have  a  companion  in  it." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Isabella,  "  but  you  will  have  a  compan 
ion,  of  course." 

44  That,  Miss  Barrona,  I  cannot  tell,  for  it  depends 
upon  another." 

44  If  that  is  all,"  said  Isabella,  innocently,  44you  should 
not  be  disappointed,  for  no  one  would  refuse  so  delightful 
a  trip." 

44 1  rejoice  to  hear  you  say  so,"  said  Bell,  in  a  deep,  low, 
earnest  tone,  "  for  you  are  the  one  upon  whom  it  depends." 

44  How,  Mr.  Bell,  what  do  you  mean  ? "  said  Isabella, 
starting  abruptly. 

44  Pardon  me,  Miss  Barrona,"  said  he,  in  a  low  tone, 
44  you  may  think  I  am  too  bold,  and  presume  too  much 
for  so  brief  an  acquaintance  as  we  have  had,  but  I  feel 
that  I  must  say  to  you,  to-night,  what  I  should  have 
deferred  until  you  had  known  me  longer;  but  I  offer  you 
to-night  my  hand,  my  heart  and  my  fortune." 

"  Mr.  Bell,"  said  Isabella,  starting,  "  you  surprise  me. 


THE   HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  221 

Did  not  my  father  tell  you  that  I  loved  another,  and  that 
my  hand  was  pledged  to  him  ?  " 

Mr.  Bell  stammered  and  hesitated ;  for  there  was  that 
in  the  simple,  direct  question  of  the  lady  before  him, 
and  its  calm  tone,  that  turned  him  back  as  he  had  never 
before  been  turned  back  in  the  pursuit  of  any  object. 
But  she  waited  for  bis  answer,  and  he  had  to  give  it,  and 
to  admit  that  he  had  been  told,  but  he  hoped  he  might 
yet  win  her;  he  plead  his  love,  and  again  painted  the 
splendor,  boundless  wealth  and  pleasure,  that  should  be 
hers,  and  he  her  slave,  and  she  a  queen,  instead  of  the 
wife  of  an  obscure  raftsman. 

Isabella  heard  him  quietly  to  the  end,  so  quietly  that 
he  thought  he  might  win  her;  and  when  he  concluded  he 
took  her  hand.  Then  she  started  back;  and,  like  the 
lightning's  flash,  her  glance  pierced  him,  and  her  words, 
like  cold  steel,  cut  down  at  a  stroke  the  arrogant  presump 
tion  of  immense  wealth  and  high  position — fostered  and 
nourished  for  a  whole  lifetime. 

"  Sir,  I  am  not  for  sale.  My  love  I  have  given  to  another : 
and  if  you  were  the  monarch  of  those  countries  you  pro 
pose  visiting  in  such  splendor,  I  would  not  be  tempted, 
in  the  slightest,  to  give  you  my  hand  and  be  your  queen 
when  I  loved  Walter  Sydeham,  and  we  were  soon  to  be 
united.  And  oh !  '  He  is  but  a  poor,  obscure  raftsman !  ' 
Ah,  yes,  but  he  holds  a  patent  of  nobility  from  the  Most 
High,  Himself,  and  this  all  your  wealth  will  not  buy. 
So,  Isabella  Barrona  goes  to  the  arms  of  a  richer  man  than 
you,  and  a  nobler,  and  a  braver;  for  you  come  as  a  tempter 
and  a  thief.  Away  from  me !  let  me  go  to  my  mother." 

And  so,  with  a  wave  of  her  hand,  and  a  proud  step, 
she  descended  alone  to  her  mother's  room;  and  there, 
with  sobs  and  tears,  told  her  all  of  her  temptation. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

S  nature  is  never  more  lovely  than  after  a  summer 
shower,  when  the  lightning  of  heaven  has  purified 
the  air,  and  the  falling  rain  has  refreshed  the  earth, 
so,  never  did  Isabella  appear  more  beautiful,  and  almost 
sublime  in  its  expression,  than  on  the  following  morning. 
As  the  boat  neared  Rock  Island,  she  went  on  deck  with 
her  father,  and  endeavored  to  see  if  Sydenham  was  in  the 
crowd  of  people  who  thronged  the  steamboat-landing. 
At  length  she  saw  him,  standing  a  little  back  from  the 
crowd,  and  watching  the  boat  intently.  She  waved  her 
handkerchief,  and  he  instantly  saw  and  answered  the  sig 
nal.  As  the  boat  landed,  she  descended  to  her  mother's 
room,  and  there  received  him  with  as  much  joy  as  though 
they  had  been  separated  for  months,  or  years,  instead  of 
only  four  days. 

As  for  Sydenham,  he  had  almost  reasoned  himself  into 
the  belief  that,  in  the  caprice  of  fortune,  it  could  not  be 
possible  that  such  immense  happiness  should  be  his  longer 
than  a  few  days,  and  that  some  accident  or  disaster  must, 
in  the  nature  of  things,  occur,  to  prevent  a  happy  meet 
ing,  and  interrupt  his  marriage;  and  when  he  told  Isa 
bella  this,  she  smiled  archly,  and  leaned  her  head  upon 
his  shoulder,  while  her  mother  related  what  had  happened. 
To  this  Sydenham  listened  with  a  swelling  heart,  but  with 
some  pangs,  at  the  thought  of  his  own  poverty,  and  at 
her  sacrifice  for  him.  And  he  told  her  this,  and  then  how 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  223 

it  happened  that  he  had  been  prompted,  other  than  by  his 
love  and  hope,  to  dare  to  ask  her  hand. 

Isabella  listened  to  the  story  of  Grey  Eagle's  death  with 
wonder;  and  when  Sydenham  narrated  the  prophetic 
vision  of  the  dying  chief,  her  emotions  were  quite  beyond 
control;  and  Barrona,  his  wife  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  (who 
was  present  with  Doctor  Ross,  by  Sydenham's  request) 
were  all  deeply  affected,  and  saw,  with  awe  and  wonder, 
the  mysterious  links  in  this  chain  of  strange  and  unwonted 
events,  as  though  the  spiritual  and  infinite  had  joined  in 
this  mysterious  web  of  destiny,  in  saving  the  lives  of  those 
on  board  the  Comet,  and  giving  this  pair  to  each  other. 

"  Now,"  said  Isabella,  fondly,  "  I  know  I  did  well  in 
resisting  this  tempter,  this  handsome  adorer,  with  his  five 
millions,  and  taking  this  raftsman;  and  if  ever  I  repent, 
you  may  produce  this  book  of  destiny;  and  if  ever  you 
repent,  1  will  remind  you  of  this  five  millions,  &c. ;  and  so 
we  are  even,"  she  said,  smiling,  and  gently  pressing  her 
hands  upon  his  head;  "and  now  go  and  bring  Grey 
Eagle's  rifle  and  hunting  gear." 

These  were  examined  with  deep  interest  by  Barrona 
and  the  ladies,  who  all  expressed  a  wish  to  visit  the  mys 
terious  cave,  and  the  secluded  romantic  valley,  with  its 
dells  and  waterfalls;  and  it  was  arranged  that  a  small 
dwelling  should  be  erected  on  the  ground  occupied  by 
Grey  Eagle's  lodge,  so  that  the  party  could  visit  it  after 
the  marriage  at  St.  Paul.  And  now  the  polite  steward 
knocked  at  the  door  and  announced  dinner. 

Mr.  Bell,  it  now  appeared,  had  left  the  boat  at  Rock 
Island,  and  taken  the  cars  for  Chicago;  and  so  the  party 
were  relieved  from  any  embarrassment;  and,  in  the  pres 
ence  of  so  large  and  gay  a  company,  he  was  soon  forgotten. 

In  the  evening,  on  the  upper  deck,  Isabella  related  to 


224  THE    HEART   OF   THE   WEST. 

her  lover  the  legend  of  the  Piasa,  and  he  pointed  out  to 
her  various  objects  of  interest  along  the  shores,  with 
which,  from  Rock  Island  to  St.  Paul,  he  was  familiar. 
Mrs.  Johnson  and  Doctor  Ross  sat  near,  and  she  seemed 
greatly  interested  in  the  story  of  Grey  Eagle,  and  all 
relating  to  the  cave,  the  lofty  dome  above  it,  &c.,  all 
which  the  Doctor  promised  to  show  her,  and  to  write  out 
for  her  the  entire  story,  and  the  death-song  of  Grey  Eagle ; 
she  promising  to  repay  him  by  writing  an  account  for 
him  of  the  escape  from  the  Comet,  and  a  copy  of  a  short 
poem  she  had  composed  upon  that  event. 

"  These  manuscripts,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  we  can  place 
in  our  library." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  lady,  "  they  will  form  quite  an  addition 
to  our  libraries;  and  I  will  do  my  best  to  make  mine  in 
teresting." 

"  I  only  hope,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  may  succeed  in 
making  mine  interesting,  and  worthy  to  be  read  by  you, 
dear  madam." 

"  How,"  said  the  lady,  "  could  it  be  otherwise  than 
worthy  and  interesting,  when  written  by  my  noble  friend, 
Doctor  Ross,  who  snatched  me  from  the  very  jaws  of 
death  itself." 

Sydenham  and  Isabella  rose  and  walked  forward.  They 
were  then  alone.  The  evening  was  balmy  and  glorious; 
the  moon  was  rising  over  the  bluffs ;  love  was  in  the  air ; 
the  sweet  contagion  had  seized  upon  both; — who  could 
doubt  the  result?  In  less  than  fifteen  minutes  the  stately 
lady  had  accepted  the  hand  of  the  gallant  Doctor,  and 
before  they  left  the  deck  he  had  gained  her  consent  to 
keep  her  niece  company,  and  celebrate  their  nuptials  at 
St.  Paul,  instead  of  awaiting  their  return  to  Louisiana. 

"  For,"  said  the  lovely  lady,  "  we  can  sometimes  afford 


THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST.  225 

to  do  what  we  know  to  be  right,  proper  and  conducive 
to  the  happiness  of  our  friends  and  ourselves,  even  if  it  is 
not  in  strict  accord  with  the  conventionalities  of  fashion. 
My  friends  in  Louisiana  will  be  surprised,  doubtless,  but 
I  think  they  will  approve,  as  I  know  my  brother  and  his 
family  will,  and  Isabella  will  be  delighted ;  and  will  you, 
my  dear  friend,  truly  approve?"  said  the  lady,  smiling 
inquiringly. 

"No,"  said  the  Doctor,  "I  will  not  approve;  that  word 
is  too  tame,  unless  we  multiply  it  a  thousand-fold,  or  so; 
say  I  ten  thousand  times  approve  it,  and  it  will  do." 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

s 

UR  tale  is  now  drawing  to  a  close,  as  it  is  expected 
a  love  story  should,  on  the  marriage  of  the  parties, 
it  being  usually  expected  that  then  romance  ends, 
and  practical  life  begins.  We  propose  to  conform  to  the 
rules,  although  the  adventures  of  the  characters  of  our 
story,  during  the  five  years  succeeding,  would  be  suffi 
ciently  varied  and  thrilling  to  form  the  subject  matter  for 
several  books. 

Within  two  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  St. 
Paul,  the  marriage  of  Isabella  and  Sydenham  took  place ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  that  of  Dr.  Ross  and  Mrs.  Johnson. 
Shortly  after  this,  the  two  newly  married  pairs  took  the 
packet  for  Grey  Eagle  Valley,  where  a  neat  and  cosy 
dwelling,  built  of  pine  lumber,  was  finished  and  ready 
for  them ;  and  here,  in  this  "  lodge  in  the  wilderness,"  in 
the  midst  of  these  cool,  sylvan  shades,  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  summer,  Barrona  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  remaining  at  St.  Paul,  or  the  places  of  interest  in 
the  vicinity,  most  of  the  time.  About  the  beginning  of 
September,  all  were  collected  at  the  lodge,  and,  on  the 
second  morning  after,  climbed  to  the  summit  of  the  dome 
like  peak  of  the  bluff,  over  the  cave,  and  looked  out  upon 
the  grand  panorama  below  and  around  them.  Thefc whole 
party  were  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  prospect,  but 
Isabella  seemed  sad,  and,  after  a  long  silence,  said : 

"  My  father,  you  have  often  told  me  our  country  is  one, 
and  that  the  different  States  are  all  united  in  one  body,  the 
United  States." 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  227 

"  My  child,"  said  Barrona,  tenderly  kissing  her  on  the 
forehead,  "  you  are  quite  right ;  they  are,  or  should  be, 
united ;  and  loyalty  to  one,  means  loyalty  to  all ;  and  pat 
riotism  means  love  of  country  therefore,  the  whole  coun 
try.  But  why  do  you  ask?" 

"  Because,"  said  Isabella,  "  I  wish  we  could  all  live 
here,  in  Minnesota,  where  there  is  no  malaria,  nor  yellow 
fever,  and  health  and  vigor  is  the  rule.  You  know,  father, 
I  love  my  home  in  the  south,  and  our  colored  people 
could  not  bear  to  have  me  leave  them,  but  I  have  often 
heard  you  speak  with  regret  of  the  deadly  diseases  we  are 
subject  to  there,  and  wish  it  were  otherwise,  so  that  part 
of  the  summer  and  fall  would  not  be  so  dreaded.  Do 
you  know,  Walter  does  not  wish  to  go  to  Louisiana  to 
live,  but  wants  to  stay  here,  and  wants  you  should  all 
come  here  and  settle,  and  make  a  new  home  in  the  north  ?" 
"  I  have  thought  of  all  this,"  said  Barrona,  sadly,  u  and 
I  believe  it  best  that  you  and  he  should  do  so;  and  it  is 
right;  but  I  cannot  feel  that  it  is  right  for  me^  at  least  not 
now.  For,  although  I  might  wish  to  do  so,  I  could  not; 
nor,  however  much  I  might  like  the  north,  and  hold  to  a 
sentiment  of  broad  nationality  that  knows  neither  north 
nor  south,  I  could  not  feel  it  right  to  make  such  a  change 
on  the  eve  of  great  troubles,  which  will  probably  be 
greater  for  the  south  than  the  north.  I  hope  there  will  be 
none  of  either;  yet,  in  the  crisis,  if  there  is  to  be  one,  my 
place  is  at  home,  But  you,  my  daughter,  and  Walter,  are 
differently  situated.  This  is  his  home,  therefore  it  is  yours ; 
on  the  same  great  river,  but  further  north.  It  is  hard  to 
part  with  you,  my  dear  child ;  but  your  mother  left  her 
native  land  when  she  married  me,  because  my  home  was 
in  America ;  and  it  was  best  and  right  for  her  to  do  so. 
She  crossed  the  seas,  but  you  only  go  a  few  hundred  miles 


228  THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST. 

up  the  great  river,  on  whose  banks  you  were  born.  So 
do  not  weep,  my  child,  for  you  will  visit  us,  after  a  time, 
and  we  will  visit  you ;  and  perhaps  Walter  may  move  to 
Louisiana,  in  time,  or  I  to  Minnesota,  or  both  to  some 
intermediate  parallel  of  latitude,  well  fitted  for  the  health 
and  well-being  of  both  ourselves  and  our  posterity ;  for  I 
bear  in  mind  that  portion  of  Grey  Eagle's  prophesy,  as 
well  as  that  we  see  fulfilled,  and  hope,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Walter,  who  stood  beside  his  wife,  (her  hand  in  his)  "  that 
a  blessing  may  indeed  rest  upon  your  house,  to  the  remot 
est  generations.  You,  my  children,"  he  continued,  "  have 
been  most  richly  blessed  in  each  other's  love,  and  in  all 
other  things.  So  let  us,  here  and  now,  worship  our 
Creator,  and  return  thanks  for  his  favor,  and  invoke  its 
continuance." 

And  there,  on  the  summit  of  the  lofty  bluff,  under  the 
shade  of  an  oak,  all  kneeled  in  prayer;  and  then  Isabella 
broke  forth  in  song,  in  which  nearly  all  joined.  And  so 
their  vine  was  planted,  their  household  altar  established, 
and  love's  victory  was  completely  won. 

But  while  thus,  this  serene  light  of  virtue,  peace  and 
love,  spread  over  this  secluded  dell,  the  dark  cloud  on  the 
political  horizon  had  grown  larger  and  larger ;  and  larger 
yet  it  grew.  And  the  time  will  surely  come  when  it  will 
be  asked  why  the  safe  constitutional  ha\en  was  not 
sought  by  any;  why  sectionalism  and  partisanship  still 
held  sway,  and  why  WAR  finally  swept  over  the  land. 
We  think  we  have  already  answered  these  questions;  but 
they  are  with  the  past,  and  with  the  past  let  them  re 
main.  When  it  shall  be  asked  whether  the  government 
of  Washington  and  his  compeers  was  so  faulty  that  it 
could  stand  no  longer  without  a  war  to  maintain  it,  then 
may  history  unravel  some  webs  of  error,  and  weave  anew 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  229 

from  the  plain,  incontrovertible  facts  that  are  found  upon 
the  very  surface,  and  accord  with  the  theory  and  genius  of 
the  constitution  and  government,  a  record  that  shall  stand 
for  all  time;  a  warning  against  violent  resorts,  rebellion, 
and  warfare  against  the  good  and  true,  whether  that  re 
bellion  be  open  or  covert,  and,  an  incentive  to — "  THAT 

MAGNANIMOUS  PUBLIC  POLICY  WHICH  BRINGS    THE  SOLID 
REWARDS  OF  PROSPERITY    AND    HAPPINESS,"  and  aCCOrds 

with  true  religion.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  said  that 
"  war,  after  all,  was  no  remedy,"  and  we  may  well  pause 
and  inquire  if  this  expression  of  the  Iron  Duke  we  have 
not  proved  true  ?  Even  now  we  feel  the  want,  daily  and 
hourly  growing  greater  and  greater,  of  a  re-adjustment  of 
the  lost  balance ;  of  the  giving  back  to  the  people  of  the 
States;  the  power  that  is  theirs;  of  the  refreshing  of  the 
principles  of  the  constitution,  and,  instead  of  contending 
for  laws  in  regard  to  national  finances,  national  debt, 
&c.,  simply  ENGRAFT  PERMANENTLY  UPON  THE  CONSTI 
TUTION  AN  EQUITABLE  POLICY  RELATING  THERETO, 
thus  REMOVING  these  vexed  questions,  and  endless  sources 
of  CORRUPTION,  forever  from  the  halls  of  CONGRESS  and 
front  the  arena  of  party  strife;  removing,  also,  the 
causes  of  much  jealousy,  and  strife  of  classes,  with  all 
its  evils  and  dangers. 

Happy  will  be  the  day  when  the  people  of  America, 
forgetting  or  forgiving  the  past,  shall  meet  in  a  National 
Constitutional  Convention;  and  great  are  the  abuses  it 
will  reform ;  and  great  the  dangers  and  troubles,  and  en 
ormous  and  augmenting  the  evils  that  demand  it.  Let  it 
be  held  speedily;  and  happy  will  be  the  memory  of  it  for 
the  ages  to  come,  and  glorious  the  immediate  results. 

THE    END. 


APPENDIX. 


"  I  like  to  see  gentlemen  as  prodigal  of  their  own  blood  as 
they  are  of  the  blood  of  other  people." — Gen.  Shields. 

"Are  the  Christian  nations  patterns  of  charity  and  forbear 
ance?  On  the  contrary,  their  principal  business  is  to  destroy 
each  other.  More  than  five  millions  of  Christians  are  trained, 
educated  and  drilled,  to  murder  their  fellow-christians.  Every 
nation  is  groaning  under  a  vast  debt  incurred  in  carrying  on 
war  against  other  Christians,  or  defending  themselves  from 
Christian  assault.  The  world  is  covered  with  forts  to  protect 
Christians  from  Christians ;  and  every  sea  is  covered  with  iron 
monsters  ready  to  blow  Christian  brains  into  eternal  froth. 
Millions  upon  Millions  are  annually  expended  in  the  effort  to 
construct  still  more  deadly  and  terrible  engines  of  death.  Indus 
try  is  crippled,  honest  toil  is  robbed,  and  even  beggary  is  taxed 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  Christian  warfare,  There  must  be 
some  other  way  to  reform  this  world." — Ingersol. 

Since  this  little  book  was  written,  the  tragic  and  ghastly  farce 
of  "Military  Glory"  has  been  performed  upon  a  mighty  scale 
in  Europe,  with  an  afterpiece  by  Thiers  and  the  Communists, 
yet  more  deplorable.  Many  wars  seem  necessary  evils,  and  can 
point  to  results  that  are  beneficent.  But  can  these?  Has  any 
good  result  been  won  ?  If  so,  could  it  not  have  been  better  won 
by  a  convention  ?  And  the  working  men  of  Paris,  that  class  tha  t 
stood  forward  so  prominently  in  the  Great  Revolution  of  1790, 
afterwards  the  right  hand  of  France,  when  France  stood  as  a 
giant,  confronting  and  defeating  embattled  Europe,  ranged 
under  the  banners  of  absolutism ;  a  class  that,  whatever  its 
faults,  (which  are  not  so  great  as  its  sufferings)  has  not  been 
equaled,  since  the  days  of  the  Democracy  of  Ancient  Greece 
and  Rome,  for  heroic,  self-sacrificing  patriotism  and  valor — 
these  men  are  driven  into  a  desperate  conflict,  deformed  by  the 
mad  frenzy  of  despair,  and  at  its  close  are  butchered  and  in 
many  cases  their  wives  with  them.  And  the  directors  of  what 


THE    HEART   OF   THE    WEST.  11 

is  called  the  Versailles  government,  and  who  refused  compro 
mise  with  their  countrymen,  and  rejected  their  oft-repeated 
overtures,  and  that  of  the  Masonic  bodies,  were  men  who  had 
not  risked  one  drop  of  their  blood,  or  one  hair  of  their  heads  in 
defence  of  their  country  when  it  was  being  ground  under  the 
heel  of  a  foreign  invader.  They  succeeded,  through  havoc  and 
ruin ;  but  would  not  a  magnanimous  policy  have  better  secured 
the  solid  results  of  public  prosperity  and  happiness?  But  des 
potism,  in  all  its  varied  forms,  is  cowardly,  though  clothed  in 
triple  mail— "  prodigal  of  the  blood  of  other  people,"  cruel,  and 
cannot  be  magnanimous. 

The  Thiers  government  has  now  formed  a  mutual  Admiration 
Society,  and  appear  to  enjoy  themselves;  but  does  it  repose 
upon  the  good  will  of  the  people?  Has  the  volcano  been  ex 
tinguished  by  the  blood  that  was  poured  into  it?  The  Paris 
correspondent  of  the  London  Times  writes  that  the  Working- 
men's  International  Association  in  Europe,  for  the  promotion  of 
a  Universal  Republic,  numbers  two  millions  and  a  half  of  men. 
Some  of  these  men's  views  may  be  Utopian,  impracticable  and 
wrong,  but  they  all  clearly  discern  the  old  stupidities  of  military 
ambition,  vast  standing  armies,  useless  wars,  and  their  inter 
minable  burthens,  and  recognize  many  cardinal  principles  of 
common  sense,  humanity  and  pure  Christianity.  Bismarck's  eye 
is  upon  them,  and  he  cannot  brook  that  one  of  them  should  hold 
an  humble  position  for  the  United  States  government  on  Prus 
sian  soil.  So  the  policy  in  Europe  is,  in  the  future  as  in  the 
past,  to  be  suppression,  not  COMPROMISE.  The  world  is  said  to 
be  exceedingly  wise  at  this  present  day— very  enlightened,  pol 
ished  and  humane,  but  it  has  a  curious  way  of  showing  it. 

Some  such  a  convocation  as  that  held  in  England,  at  Runny- 
mede,  some  centuries  ago,  when  school-masters  were  very 
scarce,  and  newspapers  scarcer,  would  do  even  for  these  wise 
times ;  but  if  held,  it  would  not  promote  the  cause  of  absolutism, 
or  demagoguism,  or  hypocricy,  or  fanaticism,  or  public  plun 
der.  Have  these  things  suppressed  true  manhood,  and  rendered 
useless  the  teachings  of  history  and  experience,  and  the  appli 
cation  of  plain  truth  divested  of  theory  impossible  ?  If  we  lift 
the  gorgeous  curtain  of  this  European  military  glory,  we  see 


Ill  THE    HEART    OF   THE    WEST. 

behind  it  the  old  features  of  despotism,  and  the  gaunt  forms  of 
poverty  and  woe;  and  in  our  own  land,  if  we  lift  the  curtain  of 
Reconstruction,  on  which  is  painted  a  caricature  of  universal 
suffrage,  we  see  behind  it  the  corrupt  adventurers  making  off 
with  the  spoils — say  to  the  extent  of  thirty-five  millions  from 
one  plundered,  impoverished  and  ruined  State.  Well  may  the 
atheist  scoff  and  point  the  finger  of  scorn  at  what  he  calls  Chris 
tian  government.  Well  may  men  despair,  when  violence  and 
corruption,  fanaticism  and  plunder  join  hands  and  are  so  often 
successful.  It  is  related  of  Bruce,  that  when  defeated  and  over 
borne,  he  took  refuge  in  a  cave,  and  was  upon  the  brink  of 
despair,  he  gained  new  courage  from  watching  an  ant  endeavor 
ing  to  carry  a  grain  of  wheat  up  a  steep  ascent,  and  after  many 
failures,  succeeding ;  and  so  his  royal  heart  renewed  its  hope. 
Truth  is  now  a  poor  fugitive,  and  her  place  has  been  usurped. 
Even  the  voice  of  Lincoln  denounces  from  his  grave  the  things 
that  have  been  done.  And  there  is  no  hope  in  any  political 
party,  anxious  only  for  office  and  power ;  but  in  the  great  castle 
of  God's  eternal  truth,  whose  gates  are  not  kept  by  any  priest, 
is  the  record  of  our  land.  And  there,  in  the  chamber  (or  vault) 
of  the  American  Constitution,  is  the  provision  for  the  convoca 
tion  of  the  States. 

CHICAGO,  July  27,  1871. 


ERRATA. 

The  publishers  would  apologise  to  the  public  for  the  errors  that  have  crept 
into  this  work,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  first  editions,  the  most  palpable  of 
which  are  pointed  out  below : 

PAGE  99.    "  We  expend  too  fast  in  everything,"  should  be  expand, 
PAGE  135.    "  The  tide  -waters  of  the  Missouri,"  should  read :  The  turbid  tidt. 
PAGE  135.    "  Earthy  water"  should  read :  Earthy  matter. 
PAGE  137.    "  Mississippi  river;  towns,"  should  be  Mississippi  river  towns; 
PAGE  144.    "  South-western  extremity  of  Iowa,"  should  read :  South-easter;*. 
PAGE  157.    For  "  Sloshed"  read  slashed. 
PAGE  194.    For  "Radical  element  dominated,"  read:    Conservative  element 

dominated. 


M26851O 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  UBRARY 


